The Boys Iliad

TH'fi POY’S I L I AD>

1Jo > h< «*l < ff A( Julies _y.

I tout!spun

THE

BOY’S ILIAD

WALTFR COPLAND PERRY

3 AUT iOR OF

‘ THF FRANKS,* 4 PROFESSOR V S\BEI S HISTORY OE THF FRENCH
RFVOLUrH’&T, ‘GRFEK AND ROMAN SCULPT UP^.,5 ‘ 1 Hh
WOMEN OF HOMER, 4 THE BOYS ODYSSE’i, ’

AND ^ THE I IE E OE SANC1 A PAUI A

tfafH ILLl/St RA l IQ t-’S Hr JAC0W11 HOOD

ILontion

MACMILLAN AND CO.’, Limbed

NEW YORK THE MACMILLAN COMPWY

I 9 O 2 V

DEDICATEE) TO MV WIFE

PREFACE

Many of the most interesting and picturesque
legends and fables connected-with the Trojan War
are not, ?s is well known, to be found in r tye
Iliad of Homer. '

As these have furnished subjects to the most
famous Greek poets, sculptors, and painters, I
think that they ought to be made familiar to boys,
to whom their romantic and fabulous character is
sure to m?ke tfiem acceptable.

Among the ante-Homeric tales are the Judg¬
ment of Paris—the ultimate cause of tne Trojan
War ; the Marriage of PeJeus and the marine
goddess Thetis ; the Bi^th and education of
Achilles ; and the Sacrifice of Ipliigeneia.

Among the post-Homeric fables are the Cam¬
paigns anfl deaths of the Amazon queen, Penthe-
sileia, and Memnon,King of ^Ethiopia ; the Death

of Achilles ; the Death of Paris, and 3 the Self-

vii

viii THE BOY’S ILIAD

immolation of his faithful wife, CEnonei;* the build¬
ing of the .Wooden Horse ; the tragic fate of the
patriot Laocoon ; the foul Murder of King Priam,
and the Sack and burning of Troy.

These events, the importance of which will f be
seen at once, I have had to cull frpm the whole
range of the classic literatuie of "Greece and Rome ;
and not only from that source, but from the poets
and logographers of a later age, and especially
froi?i the Cyclic poqfs, the most important of
w<hpm L Quintus^Smyrnaeus. .

It is offen said', with pardonable exaggeration,
that Homer is the founder, not only of Greek
history, Greek religion, and Greek drama, but
also of Greek art. He did, indeed, give shape and
scope to the vague religious notions and aspirations
of his countrymen ; but his divine epic* did f?.ot
alone furnish appropriate subjects fos th© painter’s
and sculptor’s art. It was the mental and moral
type, the*?;0o9, which Homer formed. The gods
of Homer are too vast and indefinite to be easily

t *

transferred to the canvas or the marble. They
“ move like t*he night,’/ and cc storm down the
^slop^s of Olympos.” They rush between heaven
and earth, “ like a meteor sent as a portent to
sailors”; their shoulders are veiled in cloud, and

PREFACE

IX

they rise f'om the hoary sea “ like a mist ” ; and

*

no effort of the artist can seize them, as they flit
past him in mysterious vagueness. It needed lyric
and still more dramatic poetry to nresent the gods
and heroes in the flesh, as individual characters, to
the eyes of their worshippers , and therefore it is
that the palmy days of sculpture and painting are
not those &f Homer, but of Pindar, Sophocles,
and Euripides, and the later Cyclic poets.

WALTER COPLAND PERR7.

Atheh/lum ClVb.

ILLUSTRATIONS

'Boyhood of Achilles . . Frontispiece

Andromache and Astvanax meet Hektor*

prepared for war • . .To face page 94

Agamemnon in his armour and Goddess of ’ ' ?

Discord . 4 , J ,136

Iris dispatched by* Zeus on Mount Ida to • '

#l Troy . . . ■ * ,, 190

Fight round the body of Patroklo* . . „ 223

Achilles *and the dying Hektor , „ 285

Penthesileia and h^r Amazons . . „ % 335

The Wooden Horj»e dragged within the

Walls . . 2QO

XI

CORRIGENDA

PAGE LINE

61

33

For

bridges of the army

read bridges of the war.

6 5

10

,,

Thegeus

,, Phegeus.

8 2

18

Y)

Kadmhns

,, Kadmeians.

9 °

2 1 >

Elcian

„ Aleian.

22

»

be.wee 1 ' Pyramos and Sinaros read between
rivers Pyramos and Sar 3.

36

33

Polydamas

read Poulydamas, /assing.

152

11

Axius

„ Asios.

160

6

Hippomolgoi

„ Hippemolgoi.

2 34

'2

yy

Aklaie

„ Aglaie.

333

28

yy

Polymusa

„ Polymousa.

33 ?

2?

yy

Persinos

,, Persino’os.

33 !

29

Lagonos

„ If»ogonos.

33 ”

26

Hippodoraeia

,, Hippodameia

346

10

Meula

,,r r' Mentes.

CHAPTER I

AIany of you, no doubt, have heard of the long
war between the Grefcks and the Trgjans at Troy,
a city on the Hellespont (now called the Dar¬
danelles). When Parts, a«sqn of Kjng Priam of
Troy, by the command of Zeus (Jupitef), s;#*in
judgment on the comparative heaut?% of the three
gr£*t goddesses, Hera (Juno),Athene (Minerv^.),
and Aphrodite (VSnus), he gave the prize, a golden
apple, *o Aphrodite, because she promised \o give
him the most beautiful woman in the world as his
wife. •* •

# This woman V^as Helen, a daughter of the great
gdd Zeu%, and wife of Men^laos, King^of Lake-
daimon or Sparta, who was brother»to Agamerpnon,
the powerful ruler of Mykenai. Paris \also called
Alexandros), a handsome man, went on*a visit to
Menelaos and his lovely wife Helen, and was molt
hospitably entertained .By them. * But he basely
repaid their kindness by pe^suadin^ Helen—
influenced also by Aphrpdite,— the Goddess of
Love and Befeuty, to desert her home, her huSband,
and he£ little daughter, and sail away witl? hi^rf
to Troy. . *

Mtnelaos was, naturally, full of grief and anger
3E b * •

2

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

at the ingratitude and treachery of Paris, and
eager for reverge. He roused all the kings ard
chiefs of Greece (the Achaians , which was the
most ancient name of their race), to help him to
get back his beautiful wife, and the treasures
which Pa~is had meanly taken away with her.
His b r °ther Agamemnon was almost equally
wroth ; and being the greatest of the Grecian
monarchs, he easily persuaded the other kings and
chiefs to enter heartily into the quarrel. They
all equipped their ships and armed a mighty host
of warriors, sailed to Troy, and began the long
sieg^ of tha£ holy city, Ihos , the walls of which
w^re bailt, for Laomedon, by the two gods
Poseidon (Neptune) and Apollo.

* For nine long years, the Achaians or'Greeks
fought there in vain against the Trojans and their
brave dlies, the Dardans and the Lykians ; but in
the tenth year, they took the city by stratagem,
aftei the death of noble Hektor , son of Priam, the
champion and bulwark of Troy. 1

Of al| the great ch : efs of the Greeks, the
strongest, bravest, and most famous was Achilles ,
son of Peleus and the sea - goddess Thetis.
Agamemnon, indeed, had the chief command,
because he had wider dominions, and led far more
ships and men against* Troy. But in other
respects he was far inferior to Achilles ; and a
great part' of .the immortal song of Hornet, the
Iliad^ is taken up by the record of Achilles’ mighty
< d^eds.

, PeleuSy the 'father of t Achilles, was King of
Phthia, in 1 Thessaly, arid was son of Aiakor, who

ORIGIN OF THE MYRMIDONS 3

* 9

had reigrred in JEgina, and who is said by Pindar
toliave been carried thither by the golden steeds
of Posddon ; hence Achilles himself was some¬
times called Aiak\des , from his grandfather’s
name.* P£leus was expelled by* his father from
?Egina, on account of the murder of Ms brother ;
h& fled to Phthia ; and as there were no** human
inhabitants of the land, Zeus, to please him,
Changed the fivpJirjfceS (the ants), in which the
country abounded, into people, whence the name
of Myrmidons.

CHAPTER II

One of the most remarkable events in the Heroic
Legends was the marriage of Peleus to*the Nereid
Thetis. It is,much celebrated by the poets.

Thetis was a sea-goddess, a daughter of Nereus,
the vvise, uh^rring r^er of the iEgean, whom
Hhjrier calls “ the Ancient One of the Sea.” She
was an especial favourite of Hera, by whom she
was brought up. Her beauty and grace wert/so
remarkable, that the greatest of the gods, Zeus
and Poseidon, both wished to marry her; but they
were diverted from that purpose by an oracle of
Themis , che Goddess of Justice, foretelling that
the son of Thetis would be greatci than his father.
One of the lower ^ea-gods, Proteus , had also
prophesied to Thetis :

r

Mater eris juvenis, qui fortibus*actis
Acta patris \yncet, majorque vocabitur illo.

(Thou shalt become mother of a youth, who in brave
deeds will surpass his father, and will be called a greater man
than he.) 0

In fear of such a result, both Zeus and Poseidon
gave up their suit to Thetis. They determined
thajt she should 1 marry a mortal, so that the gods
might suffer no harm.

4

ch.ii HOW PELEUS CAPTURED THETIS 5

/They njced on Peleus, who had won great fame
as a wrestler and a wise ruler. Peleus was, of
course, delighted r by the prospect of having so
beautiful ^wife, who was also a goddess. Not so
Thetis, who, as a goddess, was naturally very
much displeased at being ordered by tlie gods to
marry a mere mortal. Like all sea deifies, she
had r the power of assuming any shape she pleased.
*But Peleus prayed to Poseidon (Neptune) *for
assistance \ and the e jea-god Proteus, emerging
from the waves, advised him'to.Fie in ambush
among the rocks, afid when he saw Thgtis rejigsing
in her cave, in the* heat of *thte day, t6 surprise J^er
in her sl£ep, and to bind her*with chains. •

• < Clmron , too, the wisest and wof-fhiest of J;he
Kentauri (Centaurs), the “ Bfill-killers,” a wild
tribe, half man, half horsd i (such as may *be seen
in the metopes of the Parthenon at the British
Museum, represented as fighting with the # Lapithas,
and who lived yi the mountains and in the forests
of Thes^dy), \vas«a e great friend of Peleus. He told J
Peleus not to be alarmed by atoy form Thetis might
Assume, but io hold Her fast. Wben ^apturfcd by
Peleus, indeed, she first took the form of a blazing
fire, and tried to burn him ; she next fell upqn
him as a deluge of water* to drown him ; then she
became, in succession, a fierce bird* of prey, a fiery
serpent, and a tigress ; but Peleus,* scqjxhed,
drenched, aryi terrified though he was, still # would
not let *her go. And she, seeing that it w$% th$
will of the gods, at last consented to marry him/
Their wedding was attended by Jill the im¬
mortal gods and goddesses, with the exception

6

CH. IT

T^E BOY’S .ILIAD

of Eris , f the Goddess of Strife. She' was not
invited to the feast ; but, not being ( shy or
modest, she went up to Olympos, and was refused
admittance to the hall of assembly ; in revenge
for which, she threw a golden apple among them,
inscribed, ^ Detur pulchriori ” (Let it be given to
the fairest). This prize was claimed, as we have
seen, by the three great goddesses, Hera, Athene,
and Aphrodite ; whereupon Zeus, fearing the anger
of those rejected, ordered Hermes (Mercury) to
conduct the three goddesses to Mount Ida, near
Trow—where Paris was then tending the flocks of
his rather Pfiam—and* command Paris to judge
between the rival divine beauties; with what
consequence!* we know. Hera ‘ and Athene
vowed eternal hatred against Paris, King Priam,
and the Trojans. c

The marriage festivities were splendid. Apollo
of the Golden Lyre was there, and delighted
the ears of the gods and goddesses with his divine
’harmonies, glorious and sweet as the music of tfce
spheres. Cheiron, th£ l bridegroom’s faithful friend,
was permitted to appear at' the wedding feast {
he presented Peleus with a wonderful ashen
spear, brought fr<?m Mount Pelion, so long an 4
heavy that none of the^Achaians (the Greeks)
could ever lift it, s^ve Peleus and his son Achilles.
Poseidon gave him the immortal horses, Xanthos
and I^alios, whose speed outstripped the wihd, and
ydios^ dam was Podarge, the Harpy, at;d their
sife the West wWind, Zephyr. All the other
gods presented him wjth* beautiful weapons or
other gifts. 1

CHAPTER III

Although Thet'is had been very much averse
\o the marriage with Peleus, and cared but little
for her husband, she' proved, *after* the birth of
Achilles, a fond and devoted mother to her^little
son, and during his short iife watched over*him
with the £enderest care. It distressed her greatly
to thi^k that'; on the father's side* he was a
moftal, and that she must soon* lose him, her only
joy. So painful was this thought, that she made
a desperate attempt to ensure his immortality. In
the middle of Jthe night, she took the infant ? boy
frpm his bed'and laid him on the fire, 'that she
might burn awajf the mortal element inherited
frbm his father. One night,^however, Peleus had
Watched and* followed her ; and, ’when he saw his
baby son roasting in the flames, he screamed so
loudly that Thetis fled in’terror.,

As she had failed in this attempt to malce
Achilles immortal, she sought^ at* least, to make
him invulnerable. For this purpose shp took him
down to Hades y the lower^region, the abode of the
souls of^ the dead ; and there, holding him fey the
heel of one foot, dipped him in „the river 'Styx!
But, unfortunately, the heel, covered by her hafid,
did nbt touch the dark water, and left a vulner-

8

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

C

able spot, through which, as we shall see, dpath
was one day to r enter his body.

The failifre of all her attempts to save her son
from the doom of death so weighed on the mind
of Thetis, that &he left her husband, Peleus, and
went to live again with her father, Nereus, and
her sister Nereids, in her old home at the bottom
of r the sea. But she never lost sight of her
darling son, and was always ready to come to
him, when he appealed to her by praytr for help
and consolation. •

Peleus, when his divine wife had gone to her
former abodJb in the «sea, was^ left in charge of
th6 r edu6ation and Y e ^ are their child. He
mad® a wis^'chofce in entrusting the boy to
the care of his faithful friend, the sagacious
and virtuous Centaur, cCheiron, who received the
charge with the greatest pleasure. Cheiron took
Achilles to the house of Philyra, his mother, on
Mount Pelion, where he was nursed and taught
uwith the utmost care and the souhuest judgment.

While <6till a mefe infant, his body was made
strong and active by nourishing food und constant
exercise. The Naiads brought him milk, of
which he drank enormous quantities ; and Cheiron
fed him on the hearts of lions, and on the marrow
of bears, and tha flesh of other strong wild animals
of the forest. The effect of this diet was very
remarkable. When he was only six years-old, he
could run with the speed of the winds. Brandish¬
ing ift his hand t a small javelin with a short iron
head, he amused himself by fighting with lions.
Bears too He slew, and ^brought their bodied, still

in 'WISE EDUCATION OF ACHILLES 9

warjjn and - palpitating, to gain the approbation of
Cheiron. But, precocious as he \?as in strength
of body*and mind^he was still fond of toys, and
loved to play with, his “ astragals ” (knuckle¬
bones), 4 ancf with little carts, in 3 which Cheiron
encouraged him; while the friendly goddesses,
,the* mighty Hera, Queen of Heaven, arad the
divine huntress, Artemis (Diana), regarded the
Ifttle boy with amazement. When they saw- him
chasing and catching the swiftest stags, without
dogs, and without the crafty -aid ,of nets, they
predicted what a man Achilles would become.

But Cheiron was not contented with training
him to be-a strong and brave warrior. He trained
him also by philosophy to love wisdom, -and
taught him the art of medicine. And as he saW
that Achilles was subject to^fits of passion, taught
him to 1 play on the “phorminx” or lyre, well
knowing the ppwer of music to soothe the savage
heart. The Mpse Calliope, too, bestowed on
Achilles the gift 6/ song, with which he delighted
hi^ comrades. She r stood by^him, when he was
steeping, and addressed him thus : **

“ O Boy ! I grant thee the gift of Poetry and
Song, in sufficient measure’, that tjbou mayest make
tfie banquet sweeter, and # soothe the pangs of the
sick and weary ! But, Tor tjbe * future, Pallas
.Athene and I have decreed that thou sh$lt become
a glorious warrior, the foremost in the field of
battle. Jn after times, a great poet shall arise ”
(Homer) “ to whom I will give ful| licence tossing
of thy glorious deeds.” * ^ e

Achilles, who, with all his warlike ferocity, had

IO THE BOY’S ILIAD ch': m

0 ,

a susceptible and tender heart, would, 'often sing,
to his lyre, of the famous youths of the oldfcn
time, such as Hyacinthus, Narcissus, and Adonis,
who had been of the same age as himself; and he
recited, not witftout tears, the sad fates oi Hylas
and Abderus. For Hylas was dragged into '’a
well by the Naiads who had fallen in love withhis,
marvellous beauty ; nothing was seeh or heard of
him afterwards but a lamentable plaint from the
bottom of the well, in answer to thfe despairing
cry of Herakles. Abderus was torn in pieces and
devoured by the flesh-eating mares of Diomedes.

Under &ese favourable circumstances, and with
the especial favour of the gods, the boy grew up
to obtain immortal glory.

When he was classed among the Ejihebi
(youths from eighteen? to twenty years old), a ray
shone from his face, and he increased in stature
and beauty more quickly than a tree planted by a
spring of water.

His mother watched the development of his
mind and body wkh the greatest interest, aLnd
smiled on him with joy and pride. 1 But her joy
was soon to be dashed, for when he was still
almost a'boy the Trojan War broke out. #

CHAPTER IV

Kalchas was the ^wisest of the Soothsayers who
went with The Greeks to Troy ; he foretold
exactly how long the siege would last. He was
not the very first of Grecian Seers ; and it had been
prophesied that whenever he met one?$uperio^'to
r himself, he would immediately, die After'the war
of Troy he met the famous Mopsus, at Klaros* in
the gVove of the Klarian Apollo/ and was defeated
by him because he could not say, offhand, how
many figs there were on a wild fig-tree, and
how many pigs^a sow would bring forth. Both
• these questions Mopsus answered with perfect
accuracy ; wheieupon Kalchas died of grief.

But Kalchas was' hekHin Jiigh honour by his
c6*untrymen when he declared that Troy coulcLnot
be taken without the aid of Achilles ; he was then
implicitly believed. Thetis heard of this oracle,
and was greatly distressed, because she knew that
if her son went to Troy, he wo ( uli never return.
She therefore tried to hide him. She took him to
the island of Skyros, to the^King Lyeomedes, who
clothed l)im in female garments and placed him
among his virgin daughters. They received him
gladly, and called him Pyrrha, on account of Ms
auburn*hair.

ii

12

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

The Greeks soon heard of his retreat, and* sent
envoys/ among whom was the wily Odysseus
(Ulysses),'asking Lycomede§ to give up young
Achilles. The king pretended thjit l\e knew
nothing about him, but allowed them to search his^
palace. 4 Being very young, Achilles really looked
like a girl, and they could not find him out*
Then Odysseus, the crafty one, invented a
stratagem, which was completely successful. lie
placed in the vestibule of the palace, among the
female garments; a breastplate, a shield, and a
spe^r, and ordered the trupnpeters to sound a call
to arms, ^fhe Greeks, meanwhile, clashed their
arris together, i. Achilles heard it, and r , thinking*
that an ertemy was attacking the’palace,-tore dfF
has girlish dress, donned the breastplate, and seized
the lance and shield.' Odysseus and the Greeks
then entered the room, and begged him to go
witji them to Troy. He consented, nothing loth,
for he loved the prospect of war.,

Although Achilles knew, from Kis mpther, that
he was doomed to#<perish in Troy, that did not
deter him. The gods had given him the choice
between a short life of glory, if he went to Troy,
and an obscure Jong life of ease and pleasure,/f
he stayed at home. He r ,chose the path of honour,
as I think every gQod English youth would do under
similar circumstances. Thetis, who had, very
naturally, tri£d to keep him at home,' out of
harm’s way, to be her only support and joy, was
terribly grieved; but she could not turn him
from his noble purpose. 1

So he Started with the Greek army add fleet

IV HORACE’S ESTIMATE OF ACHILLES 13

for Troy, leading fifty ships and the Myrmidons,
the Subjects of his father Peleus—a^small number,
indeed, compared with those of the ri’cher chiefs,
but Achilles himself was worth all the rest, and
wingless Victory ever sat on the citest of his helm.
The aged Peleus bade his dear son always'to be the
boldest of all in fight, and to be pre-eminent*above
all others. And Peleus’ friend, Menoitios, the
father of Patroklos, charged his son to be the
companion of Achilles, and to take care of him,
saying, “ My child, Achilles is of lineage higher
than thou ; thou a,rt the elder, but he is far
the better in strength ; yet,-if, thou df/but spthik
to him, gently, a word of wisdom,die will o*bey thy
cgunsel, to his own profit.” ' % * •

The estimate of his character by Horace fs
incomplete, only partially trye, and by no means
does justice to the young hero :

Impiger, i^cundus, inexorabilis, acer, ,

Jura negat sibi nata, nihil non arrogat armis.

He was wrathful, im^plac^ble, apt to think
himself abt>ve all laws,'ready to claim everything
by force of arms ; but he was much more than that.
He was an affectionate son ; a fond and'faithful
lover of his dear Briseis ; frank, honest, generous,
open - hearted — very dilferent from the wily
Odysseus. Although cruel to his enerpies, like
all the warriors of his time, like even the god¬
like Hektor, that beau ideal of the hero and the
gentleman, he was susceptible of thp affections of
home, family, and friendship. He had a finfe
taste fee music and poetry. From theiron’s

*4

THE BOY'S ILIAD

CH. IV

precepts and example he had learned to despise
riches;' and, though he sacked twenty towns in
the Troad, f and brought away the greatest amount
of booty, he kept nothing for himself, save only
his beloved Briseis ; and even her he wduld not
take by force as a prize, but begged her as an
award from the victorious Achaians. When the
wise old Nestor accused their chiefs of injustice, in
not having awarded to Achilles a larger share of
the plunder, Achilles said : “Let it be my rewaid
to have done the greatest 'things ; let those who
wish for riches abound in them." Such was his
natural disposition* and the effect of his excellent
education; he t was by far the most just and
honourable pf the Achaian Chiefs ; in the general
esteem of that warlike host, Achilles was their
foremost leader; and whenever another was
praised, such as Ajax or Diomedes, or Antilochus,
the son of Nestor, as the bravest, strongest,
swiftest, or handsomest of men, it was always added,
“ except Achilles." •

CHAPTER V

So, with the great fleet and army of the Achaians
Under King- Agamemnon, Achilles sailed on the
way to besiege the city' of Troy., But the voyage
was interrupted by t a terrible calamity. When
they arrived at Aulis, contrary windf/ prevented
their further progress ; and the camp on shore y[ds
visited by a destructive plague, die cajase of which
was 'unknown to the Achaians. „ They consulted
the soothsayer Kalchas, who Revealed to them the
cause. »Agamemnon had once killed a stag in the
sacred grove of Artemis (Diana), and had deeply
offended the goddess by his boastful words, saying
that she herself ct-uld not have made a better shot.
Kalchas further announced the, dreadful decree of
the goddess, that the only atonement she wpuld
accept was the sacrifice of the lovely daughter of
Agamemnon, Iphigeneia, on her altar at Aulis.

The Achaians were struck with horror at this
terrible announcement ; arid Agamemnon declared
that nothing should induce him to slay his beloved
daughter, and that he would rather dismiss the vast
army, and sail back home to Argos. But the Chiefs
gathered round him ; and Menelaos and Odysseus
especially pointed out to him that the Greek warrio7s
were dying by hundreds ev£ry day, of hunger and

i6

THE BOY’S ILIAD

« CH.

disease ; and that it was his duty tc make this
sacrificef for his country’s sake. Unless he con¬
sented to r do so, Troy could never be taken.
Menelaos also reproached him for not helping
him to get back Helen. Agamemnon at length
yielded ;' for he knew that, if he did not, the
Greeks would rebel, and would go to Argos and
destroy him and his whole family. • So he sent a
messenger to Argos, to tell his’wife, Clytemnestra,
td bring her daughter Iphigeneia, under the pre¬
tence that ,he destined hdt to be the bride of
Achilles.

'‘Clyterrfdfcstra came, witn her daughter and her
ifrfant S>on, Orestes. For some time .the fraud
was kept up; bfit at last one of the attendants
revealed the dreadful truth to Agamemnon’s “wife
and daughter. Clytemnestra upbraided him with
the bitterest words, and poor Iphigeneia implored
him not to cut her off in the flower of her youth
ancf beauty. “ Had I,” she said, ' ,K the persuasion
of Orpheus, I would try to soften thy heart; but
I have ofily tears.”,j f

$.chilles declared that he would defend her frcm
the Greeks; but he, too, was obliged to yield, for
the Grdteks threatened to stone him. The noble
maiden, Iphigeneia, when she saw the distress of
her father, and the Greeks dying around her, con¬
sented willingly to save them. “ It is decreed,”
she i>aid, , “ that I should die. I wish to die, to
save' my country, if I may. Lead me to the
alta. ! mine be the glorious fate, to destroy proud
Troy! ” Then the priests cut off her hair, and
prepared the dreadful sacrifice.

V 0

' SACRIFICE OF IPHIGENEIA

*7

At the' last moment, when the priest was
about to plunge the knife into her throat, he saw
a stag tying bleeding on the ground; and he
announced that Artemis accepted it, in place of
the noble maid. And now, indeed^, all went well :
thk plague was stayed, and the goddess sent a
favdurable wind, which quickly brought the* fleet
to Troy.

* Iphigeneia became the favourite priestess of
Artemis at her temple in Tauris, on the shore of
the Euxine, and her stdry was commemorated by
some of the finest works of Greek poetry and art.
It was remarked that in one* of these,fainted bv
.Timanthes* the Cynthian, the artist had" repre¬
sented Kalchas^ as looking sad afid Odysseus
sadcfdb ; and, in the face of Menelaos, had e^P-
pressed the most poignant grief that his art could
show ; but when he came to Agamemnon, the father,
his art failed hirrq and having no means of conveying
the,idea of sucfi extreme anguish, he covered the

head with a veil. 1 **

»' » p

1 History of Greek and Roman Sculpture , by WV C. Perry.

isfci. • * 1

c

CHAPTER VI

While the Achaians were stfll detained at Aiilis
By the untoward circumstances just f related, they
offered a sacrifice, one d&^, under a certain tree,
from the roots of which a serpent issued, and
devoured "bight young birds, with their mother,
bating in a nest, among the boughs. Xalchas ex-r
pounded the meaning of this portent, which was,
lie said, that they would have to besiege Troy for
nine years in vain, ^ but that in the tenth year
they would capture the city. There was also an
oracle consulted by King Agamemnon, which had
responded by predicting that Troy would . fall
in the same yeaj in which the 'greatest men among
the Greeks shoyjd. quarrel with one another.
It will be sreen whether and how r far these
prophecies were fulfilled.

The w first nine yeais of the war did actually
produce no decisive result, but were spent in
laying waste, ev^ry year, the surrounding country
about Troy, called the Troad, in which Achilles
bore the most active part.

In the tenth year, which is the date at which
the* narrative in Homer’s Iliad commences, an
event took place that seemed likely to defer, for
some tirtfe longer, if "not to prevent entively, the

18

cmvi CHRYSES BRINGS A RANSOM 19

success of the undertaking ; this was the quarrel
between Agamemnon and Achilles. * Homer’s
poem, fhe Iliad, thus begins with all invocation
to the Muse: Ҥipg, O Goddess, the anger of
Achillas, son of Peleus, which thought innumer¬
able woes upon the Achaians ; and sent the souls
of countless heroes down to Hades ; anfl gave
their bodies to be devoured by dogs and all kmds
•of birds.” •

The origin of this quarrel was as follows. 'Wlien
the town of Thebe* hear Troy, w»6 stormed by
the Achaians, the daughter of Chryses, a priest of
Apollo, was tak$n among .other ktptives^ her
name was Astynome, Lut^sh$ was aKo cgfled
•Chryses, from Chryse, the d^ellifig-^lace of* her
fa?fler, who had sent her to Thebe to attend a
festival of Artemis (Diana>). In the distribution
of the booty — including prisoners of war to be
treated as slaves—after the victory won mainly by
i^chilles at Tfiebe, Chryseis was allotted* to King
Agamemnon ^s* nls royal share of the plunder.

• Her aged fatli&r, Cflrysa%, deeply grieved by
!:he loss*of his beloved child, n*>w came to the
Grecian camp, bearing the sacred fillef of Apollo
upon a golden staff. • He prayed t& all the
Achaians, but especially to Agamemnon and Mene-
laos, the sons of Atreus* saying, May the gods
grant you to take the city of Troy, and to return
safely home ! but release to me my dear chifd, and
accept the costly ransom that I bring ! ” ’•

Then all the other Achaians shouted* their
assent — to reverence •the priest and releaseAhe
damstl; but not so Atreides Agamemnon, who

20

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

drave him away with abuse and threats: “ Thy
daughter I will not release, till old age come upon
her in my house at Argos. Let me not catch
thee here,” he' said, “ either lingering now, or
coming again ; lest the staff and the fillet of the
god avail thee naught! ” The Greeks were
shocked at this impious language; but no one
dated to resist the supreme ruler of the army.

The old man, Chryses, withdrew trembling,
and wandered silently along the shore < 5 f the loud-
resounding sea. As he went, he prayed to his
patron deity, Apollo, the God of the Silver Bow :
“Hear me ,'0 Smintfreus ! ” (This name, which
mecnt “ Mouse-god,” was that by which, in the
Troad, Apolkf was worshipped, for ‘destroy’ ng the
fidd-mice which wasted the vineyards.) “ Hear
me, thou who rulest over Chryse and sacred Killa !
if ever I built a fair temple to thee, and offered
costly sacrifices to thee, fulfil my wish, and, by
thy darts, make the Danaoi pay for my tears ! ”

Phoibos Apollo heard him ; and," full of wra,th,
came down from Olympbs, bearing his silver bow
and his quiver* on his shbulder, in which the
unerring deadly arrows rattled as" he moved.
Then, from afar, be sent an arrow at the ships, and
all the Greeks heard the dreadful clang of his bow.
First, he attacked fhe mules, the light-footed dogs,
and then tjie Greeks themselves ; and the funeral
pyres blazed high all through their_ camp. For
nine days the Divine Archer hurled his deadly shafts
oh the army, $nd the people died. But on the
tebth day, Achilles, by the’inspiration of Hera, who
pitied her dear Achaians, called the people to an

VI • ACHILLES SUPPORTS I^ALCHAS 21

• §

assembly, ^tid spake among them: “ O son of
Atreus! now, I think, we ought perhaps to be
returning home, if % we are to be destroyed by war
and by % pestilence at the same time^ But come, let
us ask some soothsayer or priest, why Phoibos
Apollo is so angry with us ; and whether an offer¬
ing of lambs, or of unblemished goats,*would
assuage his wrath.”

Upon this rose*Kalchas, the son of Thestor—he
who knew the present, the future, and the past—
and made reply : “ Achilles, favourite of Zeus !
thou biddest me speak of the wrath of Apollo,
who is smiting u» terribly* from afar''. But wilt
thou swelr, if I shall speak *he» truth, to prefect

by word and deed ? For I fear *th£t my Wbrds
will*rouse the wr^th of a great fuler, whom all tTie
Achaians obey ; and the anger of a king isjterrible
to a man of low estate.”

Then the sjvift-footed Achilles made ^an^ver :
“O priest 0/J^pollo, speak boldly what thou
knpwest; foreswear by Apollo that, while I live*
and behold the light of fieavfifi, no manlof all the
£)anaoi shall lay hanefs on thee ; hot even if*thou
meanest Agamemnon himself, the greatest of the
^chaians.” * #

Then the noble Seer # took heart and spake :
“ The god is not angry on accoiinf of any sacrifice
that we have omitted ; but for his priest’s^ sake,
because # Agamemnon has ‘insulted and threatened
him, and refused the rich ransom that he brcftigh^
to set free his beloved daughter. Nor will the FaV-
Darter cease to send his'ur^rring shafts at us, utTtil
we ha^e restored the damsel of the sweetly-glancing

22

T\iE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

eyes to her father, without a ransom,, and have
offered a holy hecatomb at Chryse.”

Then rose the mighty Agamemnon, the wide-
ruling son of Ajreus, with fire flashing from his
eyes, and spake to Kalchas : “ Thou prophet of
evil ! never hast thou spoken to me anything
that is pleasant ; for thou delightest ever to augur
evil things. And now, among the Danaoi, thou
dost spread thy lying prophecies; and thou
biddest me restore the damsel to her father, whom
I would fain kfeep for myself; for she is dearer to me
than,Clytemnestra, my wedded wife; for she is
by # no means* inferior* tO her in beauty of face and
forift, or in gifts of the mind. Yet, for u all that,
I will give Her back, if so it must be ; for L would
not see my peopte perishing. But see that ye
forthwith provide for me another prize of value ;
for it is not meet that I, of all the Argives, should
be left without a meed of honour.”,

Then the goodly, godlike Achilles answered
^him : “Thou haughtiest of men, and greediest!
how can *the high-rrfinded Achaians give thee a
prize f of honour f seeing that there is no common
stock, but that all the booty, which we have taken,
has been allotted.; nor can we ask it back fron?
the warriors to whom th$ Achaians have given it.
But if thou wilf gwc back the damsel to the god,
we Achaians will repay thee, threefold or four¬
fold, when next we sack a well-walled city in the
Jand r of Troy.” *

c To him the mighty son of Atreus made reply :
“ Think not, O godlik? Achilles! strong as thou
art, thus to outwit me and defraud me ! Do^t thou

vi * AGAMEMNON AND ACHILLES 23

thinly to keep thy prize, and to leave me alone with
enfpty hands ? If the magnanimous Achaians will
give me a recompense, equal to what I resign,
well; but ifahey giv^ it not, I my^Jblf will go and
take a prize from thee y perhaps, or from Aias
(Ajax), or from Odysseus. But now, let us launch
% black ship on the wine-dark sea, with Aosen
rowerj, and errfbark a hecatomb for Apollo, and put
ttfe fair-cheeked Chryseis on board. And let Ai^s,
or Idomene\is, or goodly Odysseus, or thyself
Peleides, most formidable of men ! dp*sacrifice for
us, and appease the Par-Darter.” ^

Then the swift-footed Ac?hilles scowled at him,
•and said : •“ O thou, clothed m impudence ! thou
crafti-minded ilian! how can the Aoh&ians obey
thy command, to travel or to fight ? I came not
hither on account of the Trojan spearmen ; for
they haVe done me no wrong ; they never carried
off my horses qr cattle, or wasted my harvq^ts,
in .Phthia; for ^hadowy mountains, and the
wid^, roaring s£a, l;e between us and them. No ;
I dime to gain glory* for Mendaos, and far thee—
tlrou dog-faced man ! °But of this Ithou takes* no
thought. And now, thou threatenest to take away
my prize ! I never gain i portion equal to thine %
when we sack a well-buil^ town of the Trojans ;
mine is the danger, and the labour ♦ but when the
booty is divided, thou bearest off the largest share,
while I return to my ships with some small prize
—small indeed, but mine own, and dear to me.
Now, I will return home to Phthia ; for I have nd
mind to remain here in ‘dishonour, to win weaWh
and pofrer for thee ! ”

24

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

Then Agamemnon, the King of men, arqse in
his fury, and added fuel to the fire of Achilles’
wrath. “ Fly, then,” he said, “ if thou be so
minded ; I wi'l not ask tfyee to stay. I have
others by my side who will do me honour. Chief
of all, I have the support of great Zeus, the Lord
of Counsel! Of all the kings, I hate thee most:
for thou lovest strife and war ; true; thou art very
strong, but that is a gift of the gods. Flee,
then, with thy ships, and lord it over thy
Myrmidonsd, I care not for thy wrath. Again I
threaten thee : as now Apollo.takes away Chryseis,
my cherished prize, I will go ,myself to thy tent,
arid take away the /air-cheeked Briseis, that thou,
mayest learn how far mightier I ant than thou.”

1 Having uttered these fatal words, Agamehinon
sat down, foaming with rage. Then grief and
anger raged in the heart of Achilles ; and his
mind was divided, in his breast, this way and that,
whether to draw his mighty sword and $lay
Agamemnon, or to restrain his fury, and for^the
time abide in patieuce. ‘ While thus pondering, he
half drew his sword from ks sheath ; but Atherie,
sent by Hera, who loved then;, both, came down
from Heaven, invisible to other mortals, and,
standing behind Achilles, caught him by his golden
hair. None saw jhe goddess present save himself,
when he turned round, and knew her at once. Her
eyes c blazed with an awful light; but ho spake to
hen: “Art thou come hither, O Daughter of
fEgis-bearing ,Zeus ! to behold the insolence of
tiie son of Atreus ? who, by his own arrogance,
will speedily perish ! ” <■

VI ‘ACHILLES DEFIES AGAMEMNON 25

• |

The steyi - eyed goddess answered him : “ I
hive been sent by white-armed Hera to stay thine
anger ; she careth /or both of you, for thee and
for him. Draw not, thy sword from its sheath,
but revile him, as thou wilt; and 1 tell t/iee, now,
the time shall come when he will have to repay
,threefold all the wrong that he has done to chee.”

“ P Goddess ! ” Achilles answered her, u I
needs must yield °to the bidding of you twain,
fiera and* thee; for whoso doth obey the
immortal gods, to him will thty listen when he
prayeth to them.” • §o Achilles disobeyed ^pot,
but thrust back his sword dnto its scabbard[;
Athene returned to Olympos,^ to the gleaming
divine ^palace iof her father, the fEgis - bearing
Zeus. Meanwhilq, in that same 1 moment, Achilles
turned again to Agamemnon, and revile/ him,
saying : “ Thou wine-bibber ! with the face of a
dog, and the hjeart of a timid deer ! thou /last
neyer dared to\c$d thy people to the figAt, or to
lie jin ambush for t the foe, with the other princes
oPthe Achaians ; no, thou thinkest it far better
to seize the phize woif by another J man ! taking it
from him who dareth to oppose thee ! Devourer of
t^y people, thou rulest over slaves : else were thij
outrage thy last. But now ‘I swear—by this royal
staff I swear, which never again shall put forth leaf
•or branch as a living tree — that the. time will
come when all the Achaians will long for the
aid of Achilles — for thou wilt be powerle^ to
save them from the man-slaying .Hektor—then
shalt thou tear thy heaht jvith vexation, becatise
thou hist not duly honoured and regarded the best

26

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

among them ; and then I will not help thee; for
all thy splendid gifts, or for all thy prayers and
tears.” He dashed his gold-studded sceptre upon
the ground, anc^ then sat down ; Agamemnon sat
opposite to him.

Then arose the aged Nestor of Pylos, wisest of
men, the clear-voiced orator, from whose lips
flowed gracious, persuasive words, sweeter than
honey ; he had, in his long life, seen two genera¬
tions of mortal men pass before him, and was now
ruling over tile third in Pylos.

“-Alas! ” he said, “ what dihe disaster has come
upon the land of Achiia ! whatjoy to Priam and
the' 1 sons of Priam, when they hear of the fatal
breach between the foremost of the Argivqft in
council and in war! In the olden time, I lived
with heroes even better than you, and they never
despised my words. I never saw such men as
Peirithoos and Dryas, and Kaineus and Exadios,
and godlike Polyphemos ! Mightiest they werenn
stature of all the sons of men; and they fought
with the Vild tribes *6f the mountains, and utterly
destroyed them! They senf to Pylos for me, and
I played jmy part in fight, and they listened to my
counsel and obeyed my Voice. And now, do y &
twain, likewise, listen to 0 .me ; for my words are
wise. Do not fhou, O Atreides! though thou art
very greats take away from Peleides his damsel,
whom the Achaians gave him as a meed of honour ;
t nor v do thou, O Peleides, though thou art so
strong, and a goddess bare thee, contend with a
sceptred king, who is higher than thou art, for he
ruleth over more! ” *

VI ' ‘ACHILLES RETIRES IN WRATH 27

Then Kipg Agamemnon answered him, and
saicf: “ Thou speakest right, old man ! But this
fellow would rule u$ all. Though the deathless
gods haye rqade him a mighty wavtior, did they
grant him unbridled licence of speech ? ”

Achilles broke in upon him, and spake thus :
‘•Coward and slave should I be, did I yield to
thee in all things ! Give thy orders to others, and
not to me ! I will not, indeed, fight for the faip
girl ; ye Achaians gave^ her to me, and ye have
taken her away. But do thou, Agamemnon,
beware of taking aught else of whatsis mine in
my black ships; quickly then would thy dark
Wood flow from my spear ! ” » *>

•TJhjen* Peleides went his way to his 'tents ahd
his ships, with his ^dearest friend Patroklos, the
son of Menoitios. And Atreldes launched a swift
ship, and placed therein a hecatomb for Apollo,
and the fair-cheeked Chryseis ; and appointed ^he
goodly Odysseus^h\ m of many devices, to lbe the
captain; so they embarked, and sailed over the
watery deep, to Chrysc. fheti, at the bidding of
Atreides, the folk purified themselves, and sacri¬
ficed unblemished bulls and goats to Apollo, on
th$ shore of the barren sea. The sweet savour
rose in curling smoke to heaven. •

CHAPTER VII

But Agamemnon did not listen to the adviceof
I^estor, or forget his threat to Achillas. He bade
the heralds^ Talthybios and Eurybates, go to the
tenf of Achilles, and take Briseis of the fair cheeks,
and bring her to difc own tent. He added, “ If
Arhilles resist, l myself will come, with'more men*,
and seize he-t.” ' * ,

Then the heralds went, unwillingly, along the
shore of the loud-resounding sea, till they came to
the tents and ships of the Myrmidons, and stood
wi£h silent awe and reverence before King Achilles
—not daring to speak to him, v qr to ask him,any
questions. But he knew their e ( t*ranid, and addressed
them kindly :

** Welcome are ye, holy heralds i I impute no
blame to you, but to the tyrant who has sent you
to take away rpy prize, the fair-cheeked damsel
Briseis. Go, then, heaven-born Patroklos ! bring
her out, and givf her to them, to lead her away.
But ye, ,sacred heralds, be ye witnesses, before
gods and men, and before that pernicious King
himself, that he shall soon need my arrn, to save
him from shaipe and ruin! ”

And Patroklos obeyed the word of his dear
Lord and friend, and led the fair-cheeked damsel

ch. Vn ACHILLES PRAYS TO THETIS 29

' 1

from*the terjt, and delivered her to the divine
her&lds, to lead her away. So these took her, all
unwilling—for she loyed the godlike AxKilles—and
went their way along the ships of thp Achaians.

But Achilles sat him down, on the shorp of the
grey sea, apart from his comrades, and gazed over
the wine-dark waters, and wept bitter tears. ‘The
mighty Achilles, foremost in every battle, wept
for the loss of his ‘ dear Briseis; he wept, an^l
stretched his hands towards the sea, and prayed
earnestly to Thetis, his goddess-niothei

u O Mother ! since ,thou didst bear me tc\ a
very brief space of life, the Thunderer, great Zeus ^
aught at lSast to have granted me honour ; bat
he* hath not honoured me at all ; for Atreus’ s'on
hath taken away my prize, and keepeth her by
force against my will! ” * %

Thus prayed he, weeping ; and his dear mother,
sitting by her fatjier in the deep ocean cave, t he^rd
him,; and quickly^through the dark blue waves,
she rose, like a^misty cloud, and sat beside him,
stroking his hand, and calling n him by his* name :
“ Kly child, why weejfest thou ? 'Speak plainly,
that we both may know ! ”

jThen the swift - footed Achilles answered,
moaning heavily: “ Mother ! thou knowest all
things; wherefore should I teU thee ? When
we sacked Thebe, the holy city of Eetion, I bore
away the % spoil, and the sons of the Achaians
gave the fair-haired Chryseis to Agamemnon. * as
his share of the booty. But her dear father'
Chryses, the priest of Apdllo* came to the ships of
the AcHaians, bringing a rich ransom for his

3°

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

darling child. Him the son of Atreus, the wide-
ruling Agamemnon, drove away with contumely
and threats. ( Then the old man prayed to Apollo;
and the Far-Tarter heard him, and discharged his
fatal arrows against the Achaians, and they perished
day by day. Kalchas, the wise Seer, revealed the
mind of Apollo ; and I bade the people propitiate
the god, and send back Chryseis to her father.
Then Agamemnon, in a fury, threatened to
take away my prize, the lovely Briseis; and
he hath now fulfilled his threat. But do thou,
0 # my Mother, guard .and avenge me! for I
am thy son. Has^e thee f o Olympos, and sit
2£ the feet of Zeus, and call to mind all thr>t
thou hast* 1 done to please him. For I have
Tieard thee tell, in my father’s halls, that thou,
on a time, didst save him, the Son of Kronos, the
Lord of the Storm-Cloud, from a shameful fate,
when Hera, Poseidon, and Pallas Athene con¬
spired to bind him. Then, jvith all speed, thou
didst summon to Olympos"' the mighty-handed
giant, 6 Briareus,*‘ as the gods call him, but all
men call hifn ‘Aigaion/ who is stronger than
his father, Poseidon. Aigaion * sat down by
Zeus, and flourished his hundred arms ; and the
gods were afraid, and did not bind the mighty
Kronion. Remind him of this ; and ask him to
succour the Trojans, and give the Achaians over
to slaughter, beside their ships, so that* they may
know what manner of king is Atreidqs, who dis¬
honours the bravest of the Achaians ! ”

D ‘ And Thetis, weeping, answered him : “ Alas !
my Son! why did I bear thee ? since Pate hath

vii* APOLLO IS PROPITIATED 31

doopied thee to an early death, and hath filled thy
short life with lamentation and sorrow ? But I
will go tb the snowy heights of steep Olympos, to
supplicate the Loud-Thundering Zdus, if perhaps he
will hearken to my prayer. He is now gone to
the noble Ethiopians, beyond the sea ; but on the
twelfth day he will return to Olympos, ^to his
palace of brohze; and then I will go and prefer
rfiy prayer. But tio thou continually nurse thy
wrath agaifist the Achaians, and abstain from
murderous war.’’ * * • »

So she went her away, and left her son, mournipg
for the loss of the fair-giadled woman. Mean¬
time, Odysseus had come to Chryse, with the holy
hecatomb ; and when he had Vnocfrcd his black
ship # in the deep haven, he set forth the victims of
the sacrifice on the sea-shore*; and he brought the
fair-cheeked Chryseis from the ship, and delivered
her, at the altar, into the arms of her rejoicing
father. And Cfd^seus spake to Chryses, me holy
priest: “ O Cflry&s, Agamemnon, King of men,
hath sent back thy’daughter* *and offereth here a
Ifioly hecatomb, to propitiate the mighty god,
Apollo of the’Silver Bow ! ”

Then Chryses lifted uf> his hjyids, and prayed^:
“ # 0 God who dost watch r>ver Chryse and holy
Killa, and rulest with power pvcr Tenedos, as
.thou didst afflict the army of the Danaoi, to do
me honour, so, now, fulfil my desire, and remove
the noisome pestilence from their ships! ” • So
spake the priest, and Apollo he^rd him ; *theh
they drew back the victims’ heads and neefe,
slew them, and cut the choicest pieces of flesh

32

CH. VII

THE BOY’S ILIAD

t

from the thighs, and roasted them on sticks of
cleft wood, carefully pouring over them the
sparkling wir^. And when these labours were
done, the ricr^ banquet, to which nothing was
wanting, 4 was prepared; and they feasted gladly.
And when they had satisfied the desire for meat
and drink, and the attendant youths had filled thf*
bowls with wine, giving to each his portion, they
sang the beautiful “ Paean,” making sweet music
to gladden the Far-Darter, Apollo ; and the god
was pleased. So they feasted, all day long, until
the u sunset, when they lay L down by the cables of
the ships and slept.-

-But when the rosy-fingered Eos (Aurbra), Child*
of the Morning,"appeared in thfe sky, they set
sail, with a favouring breeze, sent by Apollo, for
the wide camp of the Achaians. Full in the
bellying sail it blew, and the purple waves roared
loudly around the ship’s cut-water ; they quickly
accomplished the voyage, land^, and dispersed
themselves among the te t nts.

But the heaven-born son of Peleus, the swift¬
footed AchilleS, sat by his ships, still mourning ;
he went neither to the council, nor to the war ;
but sat, eating his own heart, in dull inactivity,
though longing for battle, and for the clash of
arms. Meanwhile, his dear mother, the silver¬
footed Thetis, was not forgetful of the mission she
had undertaken at the prayer of her son.'

. * CHAPTER VIII ;

When the twelfth day had come, when Thetis
had said that Zeus would have returned to
Olympos, she rose from her sea*-cave,«in the early
dawn, and sped in haste to high Olympoj.
She found Him of .the ^Thundering Voice, theTSon
*of Kronosr, sitting by himself^ upon the Topmast
crest of. the rrfany-peaked mountain. And she
sat down before him, and clasped his knees wifh
her left hand, while with »her right hand she
touched him beneath the chin, and prayed thus to
the King of Gods and Men :

O Father * Ze^is ! if I have ever done thee
faithful service* arnld the deathless gods, so now
do'thou fulfil my desire! *Do honour to my
short-lived sort, whom r Agamemnott hath insulted,
and hath taken away his dearly cherished prize,
tfye fair-cheeked Briseis. •'But tljou wilt % honour
him, O Almighty Zeus, Lord of Wise Counsel t
Grant thou victory to the Trojans, until the
Achaians do honour to my son, and give him
ample recompense! ”

But 2 $eus, the Cloud-Gatherer, answered 'her
not a word; and in fear and
clung to him more closely, and once more urged
him : ^Give me thy promise to do ali this, and

CH.

34 THE BOY’S ILIAD

bow thy head ! or else, refuse ; that I" may lyiow
how I, of all the gods, am lowest in thy favour! ”
Then, a^t l$ist, the Mighty. Thunderfer spake,
greatly troubl^l: “Truly, this is a sad affair, if
thou wilt make me quarrel with Hera, who is for
ever upbraiding me among the deathless gods,
saying that I help the Trojans in battle. But do
thou depart, at once, lest Hera see us ; and I will
consider all these things, to fulfil them. And, 16!
I Idow my head to thee, which is the Surest token
of my favoisr : I cannot revoke my words, or fail
tq fulfil my promise, when once I have given
assent by the bowing of my, head.” Then he
bowed, “and the , ambrosial locks flowed 1 *round his
immortal head ; and all Olympos trembled to its
base. So they parted ; Thetis, well pleased/leapt
from shining Olympos into the sea ; and Zeus
retired to his own palace, where he took his seat
on the throne, while all the gods rose up before
him. *

Now, Hera was well aware bf fifs meeting with
the goddess Thetia/ and she addressed him with
taunting words : “ Thou arch-deceiver ! which
of the gjods hath taken counsel with thee ? Thou
ever lovest to stand aloof from me, and to weave

^ I

thy schemes in secret!' ”

And the King of Gods and Men made answer :
“Hera, look not to know all my designs, even
though thou art my wife. What it is proper for
thee to hear, thou shalt know first of all jhe gods;
but seek not tp know my secret purposes, when I
dioose to stand aloof from the other gods.”

Then the ox-eyed Queen replied, in ranger:

VIII HERA TAUNTS GREAT ZEUS 35

I * V

“Drqad Son of Kronos, .what is this that thou
hast said? *[ greatly fear that thou ha§t been
won over by the guile of the silver-foofed Thetis,
daughter of the Ancient One of tjfe Sea ; for in
the early morning she clasped thy knees; and
thou, perhaps, hast promised her to honour her
spn,*the swift-footed Achilles, and to bring Heath
and disaster on* the Argives.”

*Then the Cloud-compelling Son of Kronos
spake again*: “ Presumptuous one ! thou art
ever watching me, nor'can I escape <hy notice.
But thou canst in no wise prevail against me, bu # t
wilt only be farther from my heart/ Be silent,
therefore, and obey my comryands ; lest # all the
deathless gods m high Olympos* fail* to save thee
fromhiy resistless hands.” •

Then the ox-eyed goddess feared, and sat in
mournfed silence. But her son, Hephaistos, the
lame god, the divine Artificer, now spake; for he
.pitigd his dear mother, the white-armed Hefa.

“Verily,” he? saM, “ this would be an intoler¬
able thing, if ye twain quarml for the •sake of
miserable mortals, and *ause dissension among.the
mighty gods, &nd ^trouble the joy of our goodly
feasts. Therefore, my de^ Mother, wise as thou
art, speak kindly to our desa* Father, lest he up¬
braid us again, and disturb'the banquet. What if
the great Lord of the Thunderbolt were to dash
us from our seats ? for he is far mightier thaft we
are. Soothe him, then, with gentle words, and*he
will be gracious to us again.” # # •

He rose, and placed the double goblet in the
hands <tf his dear mother, and addressed her

36 THE BOVS ILIAD ch: viii

again : “ My Mother ! be of good r courage, and
patientry endure, though thou art angry. What
if I should thee punished,? Nor could I, nor
could any one^ protect thee* Nay, o t nce before, I
did try to help thee ; and he caught me by the
foot, and hurled me from the threshold of Heaven.
All day I sank, and at evening, half lifeless, fell on
Lemnos ; and there the Sintian people cared for
me, and nursed me.”

And Hera, smiling, took the golden goblet
from his hunds ; and he poured out wine for all
the v other gods, going from right to left; and
inextinguishable laughter arose from the blessed
gcds, when they saw the lame Hephaistbs hobbling
through the halls". So they feasted till the setting
of the sun ; nor lacked they anything, of the rich
banquet, or of the lovely lyre which Apollo played,
while* the Muses sang, alternately, with their clear
melodious voices. But when the sun had set, they
went to their own houses, to ,sleep ; for each of
them had his own palace, skilfully built by the
famous Artificer, Kephaistos. Zeus, too, departed
to feis own couch ; and beside him slept the golden-
throned Hera, Queen of Heaven.

CHAPTER IX

the other goSs, and men who fight from
chariots, slept through* the night ; but sweet sleep
did not come to Zeus, the Lord df Gods and Men.
He lay sleepless, ptfndering how he .might ksep
his promise to the* silver-footed Thetis, ^nd dp
•honour to - her son Achilles. • j^nd it seemed *to
hfrn # ]>est to send a pernicious DreaTn from th^e
Gate of Horn, from which all false dreams come.
So he called to one, and said: “Thou tuneful
Dream 1 go now to the black ships of the Achaians,
and to the tent^qf Agamemnon, King of ni£n,<md
“sa)*to him: ‘Summon all the long-haired Argives
to arms ; for now thou *mayest take the wide-
stfeeted Qty of Troy. T Tit deathless gods,
who hold the/Olympian mansions,*are no logger
divided in their Counsels, but all have.yielded
to^the prayers of Hera, and quick, doom hangeth,
over the Trojans.’ ” .

And the Dream went, wi?h 'all speed, to
Agamemnon, son of Atreus, and stood ove^ his
head, in*the likeness of Nestor, son of Neleus,
the wisest* of men, in whom Agamemnon trijs'ted
most of all the Chiefs. And thus spake the
baneful Dream : “ Sleepest thou, O son ~oT

Atreus ? It is not well for a CounseUor, to

CH.

38 JHE BOY'S ILIAD

whom jthe Army is entrusted, to sleep all night.
Listen now to me ; for I am a Messenger from
Zeus, the Thunderer, who careth for thee and
pitieth the Aohaians. He<- commaadeth thee to
call the-long-haired Achaians to arms; for now
thou mayest take the wide - streeted city of
Troy'."

Thus spake the deluding Dream, and left
Agamemnon there with hopes that were not to
be fulfilled ; for he fondly thought tfiat he would
take the holy city on that very day. So he rose,
a-r»d donned his bright tunic, newly made, and his
ample cloak, and bound his fair sandals on his
srftooth and shining feet; and over his shoulders
he threw his silver-studded sword-belt, £nd f ook
in his strong hand the imperishable sceptre of his
sires, <and went down to the ships of the mailed
Achaians.

And now the bright Dawn, rosy-fingered,
climbed high Olympos, heralding the Daylight’
to Zeus and all the deathless goas. And King
Agamerflnon sent forth the clear-voiced heralds,
to ‘summon the long-haired Achaians to the
Assembjy, and the people gathered in all haste.
But first, the great Council of the Chiefs met
near the ship of the godlike Nestor, the Pylian
King; to them Atreides spake, with crafty
words :

“Hear me, great Chiefs of the Achaians!
A dream from Zeus came to me in the
ambrosial night, in form most like to glorious
Nestor; and it rebuked. me, saying, ‘ Sleepest
thou, son of wise Atreus, the tamer of horses?

IX • TpE ARGIVES ASSEMBLE 39

thoi*,’ who art burdened with so many cares, and
to # whom this mighty host is entrusted ? * I come
to thee Straightway from Zeus, wha careth for
thee, and biddeth thee arm the Aclfaians speedily;
for now thou mayest capture the wide-streeted
city of holy Troy.’ Thus spake the Heaven-sent
.messenger of Zeus. Let us, therefore, straight¬
way summon* the long-haired Achaians to arms.
But first, I will rrfake trial of them, and counsel
them to sait homeward in their well-benched shifts;
but do ye hold them hick.” , *

Then Nestor, the wise King of sandy Pylos,
rose and made .harangue;: “ O *my friencls,
great Chiefs and Rulers qf the well*greay^d
Arrives ! if any other man h£d frqjd us of this
vision, we might have thought it false, and paid
no heed to it. But now it t hath appeared to the
foremast of the Achaians ; and we cannot doubt
it. Then let us straightway arm the sons of the
Achaians.” * „ • *

# Then he *teit # the Council; and the other
scfcptred kings rose up f and, followed .him, ancf
the people gathered*round then*. And a£ the
clustering be£s ppur forth, in swarms, from some
hollow rock, and settle ^on the bright flowers of
Spring, so, from their ships and tents, the count¬
less tribes of men came hastening to the Assembly.
And great Rumour (TWa), the messenger of
Zeus, was among them, and urged them to go.
Dire w^s the tumult and confusion; and. the
great earth resounded as the mighty hcfct »a?
down; the nine heralds could hardly restrain
them •from tumult, or make them •sit on the

+o

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

r

benches, and listen to the Kings, who are; the
foster-sons of Zeus.

Then the great Lord, Agamemnon, stood up,
bearing the Sceptre, which the divine Artificer,
Hephaistos, once wrought for great* Zeiis, who
gave it to Hermes, the slayer of Argos ; and he
gave it to Pelops; and Pelops to Atreus, Shepher 4
of the People ; and Atreus, when lie was dying,
gave it to Thyestes, rich in flocks; and Thyestes
gaVe it to Agamemnon, wherewith to rule over
Argos and 0 all the Islands. Leaning on this
sceptre, he harangued the Achaians :

lJ '*'Friends! heroes, servants of Ares! now
ha{h Zdus, the Son t of Kronos, entangled me in,
a grievous fate — hard-hearted as he isj who
ere while promised me that I should not return
home until I had destroyed well-fortified Ilios!
But now he biddeth me return to Argos, In dire
disgrace, after losing so many of my people. And
this will be a shame to our soos^ 'to hear that the
great Achaian people have fought, an vain, against
an enemy weak anfl few in number. For if we
were, to swear <ia truce, and we Achaians should
arrange ourselves in companies of ten, at a ban¬
quet, and a Trojan were "to be chosen to pour out
the wine for each ten, many of the decades would
be without cup- bearers ; so numerous are we, and
so few the Trojans who live within the city. But
they have allies from many other cities and towns;
valiant spearmen, who hinder me from taking the
citadel of holy Troy. Nine years have passed ;
and our ships, with the rigging, are rotting on the
shore; while, in our homes, our wives and children

IX AGAMEMNON ADVISES RETURN 41

are eagerly awaiting us. Then come, let us flee,
in bur black ships, to our dear native land; for
never can' we take fhe v wide-streeted city of the
Trojans.”

Thus" spake Agamemnon ; and the hearts of
the multitude were deeply stirred ; and the vast
assembly swayed to and fro, like the waves df the
Icariar\ Sea, raised high by the east or by the south
wind, when it descends upon them from the clouds
of Father Zeus. The whole assembly rose and
ran, shouting, to the" ships ; and each man en¬
couraged his neighbour^ to knock away the shorer
props, and to drag the swift ships into the bright
gait sea. ' e a

• Then* would* the Argives have "sailed away,
dishonoured, to their native land, leaving Heleri
to the Trojans. But Hera,? ever watchful^ over
her beloved Argives, spake angrily, on Olympos,
to Athene: “O ye Gods ! O Daughter of Aigis-
beafing Zeus! thoiv Unwearied One! shall the
Argives, in very # deed, flee^over the broad-backed
sea,* leaving Helen to Priam,''for whom *many a
valiant hero h£th bit the dust, far from his native
land ? But do thou fly quickly to the mail-clad
Achaians, and speak persuasive, words to stay

• Then Athene rushed down from the lofty peaks
of Olympos, and came speedily to the ships of 1 the
Achaians there she found Odysseus, great »in
:ounsel as Zeus himself, standing a,lone, nor"did J
le lay hand on his decked ship; for grief and 1 '
hame fconsumed his heart. And the stern-

s’hips on the wide salt

them from launching their

42

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

9

eyed goddess stood by him, and addressed him 1
thus: •

“O g< 3 dli£e Odysseus; s(jn of greit Laertes,
Odysseus of ;many wiles \ % will ye, indeed, flee
homeward, in your many-benched ships, and leave
the godlike Helen to be a prize and boast to
Priafn and his sons ? I bid thee go speedily to
the great army of the Achaians, *and hold back
each man, with kindly word*>, from drawing *his
curved ship down to the sea.” *

And Odysseus, the man of many devices,
Jqiew the voice of the # Heavenly Maid; and,
throwing off his mantle, he began to run, while
fits herald, Eurybates, picked up the mantle. He
came first £6 the great son of Atreus, .even the
King Agamemnon, and received from him the
imperishable sceptre, of his fathers, with which he
took his way to the ships. "

^Wherever he found a leader, or a man of
weight, he stood by him ancLjestrained him yvitb.
friendly words : “ O my gobd fellow, I \yould
not terrify thee , like a meaner man ; but do thou
sit< quietly, and make cfchers sit still! Thou
knowest not the real purpose of Agamemnon;
for ye all heard, not wh*at he spake in the Council ;
beware then of his anger, lest he deal hardly with
you; for proud is the mind of a king, one
nurtured by Zeus.”

But when he came to a man of the common
herd, and found him shouting and hastening to
lauftch the sjiips, him did Odysseus hold back
forcibly, with the sceptre, chiding him with angry
words: Thou wretched man! sit still, and

IX • THE) DEMAGOGUE TH^RSITES 43

listen to thy betters ! thou art not, a warrior, but
a fhan of naught, of whom no account is taken.
We cannot all be kings; the rule^of^many is an
evil thing ; jet there , be one Lord, to whom the
wise Son of Kronos has given the sceptre, that he
may hold the sway over us.”

#. And the Achaians were afraid, and obeyed the
voice ,of .Odysseus ; they hastened back to the
Assembly, with a 'noise like that of the loud-
roaring sea ton the beach. All the rest sat down,
and held their peace. ’ThersiteS, alorte, went on
brawling, with intemperate words, jeering against
the Chiefs, so that he might make the^ peop|e
•laugh. He was, by far, the ugliest man ot all She
afrny^ before Tfoy. Bandy-legged &nd lame was
he, with a misshapen head, upon which grew no
hair, but only a thin down? He was especially
hateful'to Achilles and Odysseus, whom he loved
to revile ; and now he poured forth his ribaldry
•on.the goodly son ^f Atreus. Thus he spake, in
a laud voice, ?o tlie gre# Ruler of the People :
“P thou Lord Atreides! art fhou still unsatisfied?
Surely, thy tents are full of rich brohze, and many
women are in thorn, whom we Achaians, give to
th^e, whenever we have sacked a city. What dost
thou yet lack ? Is it gold, f Which one of the horse¬
taming Trojans may bring thee,* as’ a ransom for
his son? Or is it a maiden, whom I, or another
man, perhaps, may have taken among the captives ?
It is not r\ght that trouble should be caused ambng
the Achaians by one who is their. King. 0 ye
weaklings, ye shameful (towards, ye Achaians hoi
men bi 9 t women, how is it that ye endure such

44

CH.

JHE BOY’S ILIAD

treatment ? Let nothing keep us now from re¬
turning home, and leaving this man here, to gorge
himself wit‘h prizes if he can.—that he* may learn
whether our aid be of any use to him^ or pot! It
is thou, Q Atreides, that hast insulted Achilles, who
is a far better man than thyself. Surely Achilles
is one by no means wrathful, but rather negligent
and careless ; or else, this outrage were thy Jast j, ”

, So Thersites reviled the great Shepherd of the
People. But goodly Odysseus was aware of him,
and came id his Side, and rebuked him with angry
lyords: “Thersites! rash and-random prater, loud¬
mouthed orator, as thou art, I bid thee keep silence,
nor think thou alone to contend agaihst mighty
Kings ; for'surely, of all that came to Troy, fhdre
is no baser man than thou art., It is not meet that
such £ one as thou should speak of the Chiefs,
insultingly, as thou dost, and look for a safe return
hotne ! Now I will speak to thee plainly, and my
words shall be fulfilled. If erer again I find thee
thus raging against the Chiefs,''then, may I lose my
head, arfd be no more called the fathg- of Te^e-
machus, if I st ( rip not off thy mantle and thy tunic,
and senfl thee, with many a blew, naked, weeping
£nd howling, to^the ships ! ”

With that, Odysseu? smote Thersites, with the
sceptre, on his l 'ba:k and shoulders ; and a big tear
fell from the eyes of Thersites, who sat down,
smarting, helpless, and wiping his eyes. The
others around him, though sorry that they were
not to sail home, laughed at him, and said to
one another: “Truly, Odysseus hath done great
things, in council and in war ; but thi 3 J is the

IX THE HOST IS MARSHALLED 45

best thing that he hath done, in that he hath
stopped the mouth of this railing prater.”

Then Odysseus addressed Agamemnon, and
reminded him of the divine oracle, according to
which the Greeks were to take sacred Troy in
the tenth year. “So come ye,” he said to the
assembly ; “ remain here, ye well-greaved Achaians,
till we shall have sacked the holy Ilios! ” Thus
he spake to them and the fickle people shouted
applause, which echoed terribly from the ships along
the shore. # * <

Then the wise Nestpr rose, and advised A££7
memnon to separate the divisions of the army, to
arrange them by nations and dans and tribes, and
to let each chief *be in command of his'ewn country¬
men, % and allow them to fight in their national
manner. “ So wilt thou lean>,” he said, “ who, of
thy captains and their men, are brave, and who
are cowards.” And Agamemnon fiercely exhorted
«an 4 threatened them : “ Whomsoever I shall see
near, the ships £nd "seeking to shirk the fight, for
hiyt there shall be no escape "from the dogs and
birds.” • • '

Then Agamemnon sacrificed a bull to Zeus,

and called all the Chiefs arbund him. There were

• ^

Nestor ; Idomeneus of Crete?; the twain Aiantes ;
Diomedes, the son of Tydeus ; and Odysseus, equal
to Zeus in counsel ; while Menelaos, the Spartan
King, husband of Helen, came uninvited, as he
knew the # toil and anguish that his brother Aga¬
memnon endured upon his account., Agamemnon
stood forth among them* and prayed : “ O Zetis,'
most gibrious and mightiest! God of the Storm-

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH. IX

46

Cloud ! grant that the sun may not r set before I
have burned title palace of King Priam, and pierced
the heart df Hektor with my sword ! ” ' Thus he
prayed ; but 'Kronion would not hear him, but
made continual increase of his labour. And Nestor
also spake : “ O noble son of Atreus ! let us no
longer be idly talking here, but let the heralds,
among the ships, gather the host together ; and
let us go through the ranks "of the well-greaved
Achaians, that we may the more quickly rouse
them to fierce battle.”

jThen the clear-voiced heralds went forth, and
summoned the long-b aired Achaians to the fight;
and the Chiefs, the foster-sons of Zeus, gathered
round Agamemnon. And the mighty 1 goddess
Athene was amongst them, bearing the holy
aegis, immortal and indestructible, wherefrom
waved a hundred tassels of pure gold, each one
worth a hundred oxen. She passed through the
ranks, and aroused in every man s heart the love,
of battle ; so that fighting seemed to them sweeter
than to depart to their dear native land.

Meantime,'the great Achilles kept aloof from
war ; he sat, with his dear friend Patroklos, idle in
his tent' while the Myrmidons lay around, thirsting
for the war-cry, but amusing themselves with
games and sports

CHAPTER X

In Obedience to the Summons of their leaders, the
great host of tfhe Achaians assembled on the plain of
the flowing river Skamaddfos (SQamiintXer'jf innumer¬
able as the leaves and flowers in the season of Springy
And in the midst of them stood the great Ruler,
Agamemnon ; his head and eyes like those ot
Loud-thundering Zeus ; his waist* like* that of the
Man-slaying Ares (Mars) ; and with a breast like*
that of Poseidon (Neptune), the Ruler of the Sea.
As the mail-clad Argives marched on, and rushed
across the plain, the earth groaned beneath thern^

. INfow, iEgis-beaVmj Zeus sent his messenger, Iris,
to the Assembly &f ttie Trojans, with the voice of
PoHfes, son of Priam, their sentinel at Priam’s
gate, and spake thus to Hektor : “ This is no time
for idle words,‘for ,stern war is already upon you.
But to thee, O Hektor, do i especially spealc ; and
do *thou obey my voice ! As thou hast many
allies, of diverse nations and tongues, let each
Chief marshal and command his own people, and
lead them^orth to war.”

And th^ glorious Hektor knew the voice of the
messenger, and hastened to obey. # He straight¬
way dissolved the Assembly. The gates of Troy
were th<»n thrown open, and the Trojan host

4 8

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

r m

rushed forth^ with a mighty din. The blameless-
Hektor, with his glancing helmet, was foremost of
all, and ldd the bravest and strongest of the men ;
Aineias (Aineas), son of the goddess Aphrodite,
born amidst the peaks of Ida, led the Cardans ;
and of the other leaders of the allies, the most
fambus were Sarpedon, son of Zeus, and blantele^s
Glaukos, who led the Lykians, frorh distantlykia,
by the swift-eddying Xantho£ ®

And, as the countless hosts advanced, to meet
each othet in deadly conflict, the Trojans marched
( wlth noisy shouts, like the olamour of the cranes,
when they*fly to the streams t -of Okeanos, in the
early morning, screaming, and bringing death and
destruction* to the Pigmy men ; Hbut the«Achaisms
f came on in silence, breathing dauntless courage.

But when they ,came near to each other, the
good!ly Alexandros (Paris) went before the front
rank of the Trojans, and brandished his spear, and
challenged all the Argive Chiefs'to single con^bat.
When the warlike M^nelaos, # wht)m Paris had so
deeply wronged by* carrying off his wife, the beau¬
tiful Helen, saw Paris thefts, he was glad, thinking
that he should now punish the f fals£ traitor for his
wickedness. Sp he leaped from his chariot, in his
clanging armour, and advanced to meet the chal¬
lenger. And P c aris saw him ; and pale fear got
hold of him, like to a man who has trodden on. a
serpent, in a wooded valley among the mountains ;
and he shrank back among the lordly ^rojans.

f riis brother Hektor saw him, and reproached
him with scornful words : u Base deceiver of
women, ^beautiful in appearance and favour, but

X PARIS (pHALLENGETH MENELAOS 49

coward at heart! would that thou hadst never
been born, br that thou hadst didd umVedded !
Now thoa. seest what#kind of man ie he, whose
lovely wife thou hast carried off by stealth. Of
no avail wilt be thy sounding lyre, thy beauteous
face and curling hair, or all the gifts o*f golden
Aphrodite, when thou liest grovelling in the <£ust.”

And the goodly Alexandros answered him :
u He!ctor, thou rightly chidest me, and not more
than I deserve. Thy heart is ever undaunted, and
keen as the axe, which cutteth the string oak, in
the hands of a skilful shipwright. But reproach
me not for the lonely gifts pf golden* Aphrodite*;
for no man can obtain them Ijy wishing fcJT thejfi,
fqr they # are among the precious gifts^qf the blessed
godV But if thou desirest that I should do battfe
with the valiant Mfenelaos, make the Trojans and
the Achaians sit down ; and set me and Mdhelaos
in the midst, to fight for Helen and for all the
.treasures which were, taken away with her.* And
whichever of us» twain shall be the victor, let him
bear away the woman, and 1 th« treasure, c^id take
them home?.” . o *

So spake he, a # nd they all kept silence ; but
Menelaos of the loud war-cry stood forward
anlongst the Greeks, and made harangue :*
u Hearken now to me, for*my he # art.hath endured
the greatest grief. Whosoever of us twain shall
fall, there* let him lie. But now bring a gotodly
sacrifice, a white ram and a black ewe, for the
Earth and for the Sun ; and another for Laud-*
thundering Zeus; and summon hither the great*
King Prjam, that he may take the pledge; for his

E

5 °

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

r

sons are reckless and faithless ; young men’s hparts
are too frivolotis and fickle, but an oldtnan looketh
to the future and the past.”

And Hektor sent heralds to the city, to fetch
two lambs, and to summon Priam white Aga¬
memnon sent Talthybios for a ram. Now Iris, in
Troy^came to Helen, in the semblance of Laodike,
Paris’ sister, fairest of Priam’s daughters, wife of
Helikaon, the son of Antenor. She found Helen
weaving a great purple web, on which she was
embroidering the, battles of° the Argives and the
Trojans. The swift-footed Iris came near her,
and said: ‘"Come hither, dear Lady, come with
me, to see the wondrous deeds of the horse¬
taming Trojans artid the mail-clad Argives; for
now the battle is suspended, while Alexandros,
and Menelaos dear to Ares, Will fight alone with
their Spears, for thee; and thou wilt be the fair
wife of the victor.” So Iris spoke, and put into
Helen’s bosom a longing for her former husband,
and for her darling daughter. <'Then Helen veiled
her face, and went straightway to the Skaian Gate,
letting fall a tear; and .her two. handmaidens,
^Ethre and Klymene, followed her. *

On the tower above the Skaian Gate, she found
the Trojan Elders, Panthoos, Thymoites, Lampos,
Hiketaon, Oukalegon, and Antenor; these, on
account of their age, had ceased from war, but
were still good orators, with voices like the grass¬
hoppers ( cicadae ) which sit upon a tree, and send
forth- their lily-like voice ; so sat the Elders of the
Trojans on the Tower# When those ancient
Sages saw the fair Helen coming to them, they

X HELEN AND THE TROJAN SAGES 51

were Astounded, and whispered one to another :

No wonder* that the Trojans and *the Athaians
have suffered so many things for such*a glorious
woman ! But, fair as she is, let her sail away,
and not^tay*here to trouble us and our children
after us.”

# But the aged King Priam addressed her kindly :
“ Dear Daughter ! come hither, and see thy former
husband and kinsmen ! I do not blame thee , but
th£ gods, and especially Aphrodite, by whom this
sad war has been brought upon ys. Byt tell me
who is that huge Achaian warrior ? Many are
taller than he, but % I haVe npver seen* a man # so
stately and royal.” And tfye fair Hel&i, tl^S
daughter, of Zews, replied : “ O Venerable Father
of hly Lord ! would that death had been my lotf
when I followed thy son to^Troy, and left my
home and husband, and my dear young daughter,
and all the loved companions of my girlhood !
But that was not to bu, and therefore I moufn and
weep. The man of whom thou speakest is Atreides,
the wide-ruling monarch Agamemnon, wha is both
a stately king and a doughty warrior ; he is the
brother of Menelao^ my husband—shameless thing
that I am! ” * # *

"Then the aged Priam asked her about the
other Achaian Chiefs, OdySseus, jmd the gigantic
s{ias (Ajax), the bulwark of the host; and the
godlike Idomeneus ; and the lovely Helen told
him all, and said : “I see all the other bright-ey^d
Achaians, and could tell their names ; but two I
see not, even mine own*brothers, # horse-tami«ig
Kastor jyid the boxer Polydeukes (Pollux) ; per-

5 2

' CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

C a

adventure they came not with the Achaians’* or if-
they crftae, they fight not, for fear of the revillngs’
which men heap on me— -shameless that I am! ”
She knew not that the earth already covered them,
in Lakedaimon, their dear native land. Now the
aged Priam drove out through the Skaian Gate,
with/Antenor by his side ; and, when he had dome
to the Achaians and the Trojans’, he descended
from his chariot, and stood''on the Earth, the
bounteous grain-giver. Then Agamemnon, the
King of men, ajid Odysseus, the man of many
devices, rose up ; and the stately heralds brought
the holy o&th-offeryigs to the gods, and mixed
f]?e ruddy wine in r the krater (the mixing-bowl),
from which f they ^ave portions to the Acbaian and
S.he Trojan chiefs. Agamemnon raised his ‘hands
to Heaven and prayed: “O'Father Zeus, most
great* and glorious ! O Sun, who seest and
hearest all things! O ye Rivers, and thou,
Mother Earth! be ye alt witnesses to our
oaths! If Alexandros shall -kill Menelaos, then
let him keep Helen and all her possessions;
but if the yellow -haired Menelaos # slay Paris,
then let the Trojans give baqk Helen and her
treasures ! ” #

Then the lordly Agamemnon slew the lambs,
and prayed agair\ to Ze‘us. But Priam spake unto
the Achaians and the Trojans: “ I verily will
retiiVn to breezy Ilios ; for I cannot bear to see
my son engaged in deadly conflict with the war-
lovh\g Menelaos.”

- -Then the goodly Alexandros, lord of the fair¬
haired Helen, put on his beautiful armour. First

X COMBAT OF PARIS AND MENELAOS 53

he §e£ the splendid greaves upon his •legs, festened
round the ankles with silver clasps ; ther^he donned
the corslet, which he # had borrowed from his brother
Lykaon$ and he threw over his shoulders the
silver-studded sword-belt with his sword, £nd took
up his mighty shield ; and upon his beauteous
Ifead he placed .the helmet, with a horse-hair crest,
and the plume nodded terribly ; and he took a
strong spear jn his hand.

Then he and Menal^os stood face to face, on
the ground which Hektor and Ocfysseusliad meted
out; and they brandished their spears,* with wiHih
against each other. Aiexandros drew the lot to be
the first to cas^ his long-shafted* spe^r ; he threw
it,* and *it struck the round shield of Atreide*
Menelaos, but did not pierce it; for the point of
the spe^r was turned. * •

Then Menelaos, poising his lance, prayed to
Zeus: “ O Father Zeus! grant me to* t&ke

veifgeance on goodly Alexandros, who did me
such* foul wrong— me, wl!o Ijad shown # him so
m\!ch kindnessj ” He t said, and hulled his strong
spear, which struck the bright shield of the son of
Priam ; and the sharp point passed through it,
and through his breastplate* and* rent the tunic,
close to the side of his body; but .Paris swerved
from it, and shunned the black fate of death.
Then Menelaos drew his sword from the siWer-
studded sheath, and smote on the helmet of
Alexandre^, but the sword was shattered, and* fell
in pieces from his hand.. Then he? looked up^to,
heaven, and exclaimed : “ O Father Zeus ! thou
art the most cruel of all the gods ! ”

54

TOE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

So sayings he caught Alexandros by his hqrse-
hair crest, and dragged him towards* the well-
greaved Achaians, and the embroidered strap of
the helmet went nigh to strangle* him. But
AphrocKte, daughter of great Zeus, who loved the
beauteous Alexandros, drew near him, and tore the
strap of leather; and the helmet came away,
empty, in the strong hand of the son of Atreus.
Full of wrath, he hurled it towards his trusty
companions, and they took it up. He then rushed
back again, to slay his enemy ; but golden-haired
Aphrodite, 4 >eing a goddess, easily caught up Paris,
and hkl him in thick darkness, and parried him
into Troy, to his*high and fragrant chamber.

Aphrodite, the golden Goddess of Love,-then
went to summon Helen, in the likeness of an old
woman, a wool - cdmber, who had worked for
Helen in Lakedaimon, and whom she greatly
loved. She found the white-armed Helen on
the high tower, and spake :j “ t Come hither to
Alexandros, who send*, for thee; he is there in
the fragrant chamber, shining in beauty—

Not like a warrior parted from the foe,

But some fair dancer from the public show.”

* Pope’s Translation of the Iliad.

But Helen’s heart was greatly moved ; she
knew the golden Aphrodite, saw her fair neck
r an4 sparkling eyes, and called her by her name :
“O thou strange Goddess 1 wouldst thou again
deceive me ? Now Menelaos hath conquered
Alexandros, and will carry me home—accursed as

X MEETING OF HELEN AND PARIS cc

» •

I am! Apd now do thou no more return to
Olympos, but leave the dwelling of tfie gods,
and go aftd sit by. Parts, till he make T hee his wife
—or perchance, his %lave ! But 1 will not go to
him; Ifor all the Trojan women wogld justly
blame me hereafter; I have innumerable griefs
•wit*hin my heart.” •

Then was the bright goddess sore displeased,
and spake harshly *to her : “Beware ! thou foolish
woman! le&t in my wrath I leave thee, and hence¬
forth hate thee, as I lia^e loved*thee until now ! ”
Aphrodite spake, and # Helen, daughter of great
Zeus, trembled arrri obeyed, wrapping *her beautiful
garments ‘about her ; and the goddess lecl he» to
the fragrant clfamber in the palace,*and set her on
a cliair before the goodly Paris, 9

But Helen looked askance at her lord, and
chode*him with bitter words : “Would that thou
hadst never come back from the fight, but jjadst
perished by the arm of the warrior wTio was
onee my husband ? Thc^u didst boast thyself to^
bp* a better man than Menelaos ! Go then, and
challenge him* again, tft meet thee face to face once
more ! •

Yet Helen, though she could not but despise
I^aris, soon became reconciled to him, partly from
a remnant of her former love for him, and partly
•from her fear of Aphrodite.

In tte meantime, Menelaos was raging through
the field # in search of him. Nor could any ofi the
Trojans find him, or they would pave giveft him
up; for they hated him'like death, as the cau$e of
all their sufferings.

56 THE BOY’S ILIAD ch. x

And King Agamemnon said to tjie Trojans :
“Now that the Ares-loving Menelaos hath
conquered Alexandros, do ye - give back to us
Helen and all her treasures 1 ” But this was not
to be. ' “

CHAPTER XI

Now, the goddesses Hera and Athene were ill
pleased with the turn avj^iich affairs were taking ;
for they feared that the Achaians, having gotten
Helen, would sail away* without destroying £h*
city of Priam, which they Kated with a deadly
hatred. They were furiously *angry # with Father
Zelis* fof favouring the Trojans; for he had
said : “ This would «be pleasing to me, if the city
of Kin^ Priam remained unharmed, and Menelaos
took back the Argive Helen. For of all the cities
on the bosom of £arth, the grain-giver, holy Ilfos
is the dearest to ijiy fcieart.”

Then Hera, his wife, attached her Lord with
bitter taunts ; and Zeus, in great wrath, answered
her : “ How then, gooa Lady, have Priam and
his sons offended*thee so greatly, that* thou
longest to sack and burn the # greaf city of Troy?
Perhaps, if thou wert to .enter the gates and
devour Priam and all the Trojans raw y thou
WOuldst be satisfied ? ”

But he # yielded to her, nevertheless, and sent
Athene to*make the Trojans break the trope.
She, like a shining star, shot down from Olympqp,
and leapt into the midst of the Trojan and
Achaian f warriors. Then, in the likeness of

57

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

58

Antenor’s son, Laodokos, she sought out Pandaros,
the skilfijj archer; and she spake to him artful
words: “ Listen to me, wise' son of Lykaon, and
send a swift arrow at Menelaos ; fer thou wilt so
win glory and rich gifts from all the Trojans,
and especially from Alexandras, if he shall see
Menelaos dead and burned on the funeral pyre.’

Then Pandaros, in his folly, easily beguiled,
opened his quiver and took out a feathered arrow,
and laid ( it upon the cord ; and vowed to Apollo,
the Son of Light, a goodly hecatomb of lambs at
‘his home in holy Zeleia. Then he drew the bow¬
string to his breast, and arched the great bow,
and the sharp shaft sped on its way amidst the
, crowd. But Athene had marked him, and stood
before Menelaos, warding off the piercing dart, as
a mother wardeth off a fly from her slumbering
child. And she guided it so that it should strike
the golden buckle of the metal girdle, which
Menelaos wore as a protection against darts. So
the arrow only grazed the outermost flesh of the
King; yet the dark blood, flowed from the wound.

The Lord Agamemnon, seeing this, took his
brother by the hand, and groaned aloud ; but the
yellow-haired Menelaos encouraged him, and said •
“ Be of good cheer, dear Brother ! and let not the
Achaians be dismayed ; the swift arrow did noi
pierce a vital part, but was stopped by my belt
and by my girdle of bronze, the sure defend
against darts.” And Agamemnon was comforted
a^d sent his herald, Talthybios, to call the excellen
leech Machaon, the son of Asklepios (Aesculapius)
whom he found among the shield-bearing warrior

XI fANDAROS WOUNDS MRNELAOS 59
•

whp had followed him from Trikkc, in Thessaly.
And the Jierald called him to see Mepelaos, who
was wounded ; and* Machaon went to him, drew
out the^rrow, loosed*the belt, and examined the
grievous wound. He sucked out the blctod from
it, syid spread soothing unguents upon it, sych as
£he good Cheiron had shown to his father,
Asklepios ; and th^ wound was soon healed.

• Meantime, the horse - taming Trojans were

coming on in battle asr^y ; and the Achaians, too,
armed themselves for the fight; and the great
King Agamemnon was -not slow or backward,*bst
very eager to begin the ffay. The mail-clad
Achaians and £he Trojans quickly met in deadly
strife ; and the Chiefs on both sides, aided by they*
gods, performed psodigies of valour, until count¬
less dead lay stretched upon the field. •

And those Chiefs whom he found eager he
encouraged witlj friendly words: “Ye.m>ble
’Ai^gives, falter ryot yor fail in your stern, impetuous
valour ; for Zeus, the grfcat Guardian of Oaths,
wtll be no*helper of trajtors—whose flesh the birds
shall eat, and, whose wives and children we will
bear away in our £hips ! ” •

• But when he found any # man* shrinking from
the grievous battle, him Agamemnon chode
with bitter taunts : u O thou ^ile coward! hast
t'hou no shame, that thou standest, dazed and full
of fear, fike a timid fawn ? dost thou wait to see
the Trojans come down close to our ships ? >% dost
thou hope that then we ghall be protected by # the
Son of Kronos, with his mighty arm, if .we do not
fight fo!* ourselves ? ”

6o

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

He £ame icext to the brave Cretatrwarriors, and
found their Chief, Idomeneus, with Meriones, to
whom he spake kindly words : “ Idomeneus, more
than all the other Danaoi do I honour thee,
both in war and at the feast. When all the other
long-haired Achaians drink only their allotted
portion, thy cup, like mine, is ever full.” And the
noble Cretan answered Atreides : “ I promised to
be a faithful helper to thee : I will keep my
pledge.” Then he passed on to the twain
Aiantes, who were forming their close battalion of
feot soldiers*, like a thick black cloud rising from
the sea and driven forward by the west wind.
Tnen he found Nesfor, the aged Pylian King, who
\yas skilfully setting his followers in battle array.

Nestor first ranged the chariots in the front ;
and behind these, the foot soldiers, to be a bulwark
to the rest; but the weak and the cowardly he
placed, between, in the middle, so that they must
fight, whether they would or not., “And let no
man, trusting in his horsemanship,” said Ne^or,
“ drive his chariot before phe front rank ; lest he
be caught in the throng of the others. But when
a warrior, standing on his own car, can reach a
chariot of the enemv, let him boldly thrust<■ at
him with the spear ; for so, in the olden time,
have armies been conquered, and cities have been
captured and levelled with the dust.”

Atreides Agamemnon rejoiced, and said to the
,age< 4 Nestor: “Would that thy strength were equal
to thy spirit!——that the lot of feeble old age had
fallen upQn other men, and that thou wert still
among the young ! ” He went on, and found

XI AGAMEMNON REBUKES ODYSSEUS 61

• ♦

Men«5theus the charioteer, the son of Peteos, in
the # midst of the Athenians ; and near him Vas the
wily Odysseus, witl^the^Kephallenians ;* these were
standing still, and waiting to see some other
battaliorf advance to the battle. And Agajnemnon
spake to Menestheus with angry words : tc O son
qf Peteos; of the stock of Zeus! and *thou,
Odysseus, thou wily man! why stand ye here
idle and shrink from war ? Foremost are ye at
th5 feast, and ye gladly eat roast meat, and linger
over the honey-sweet* wine ; but now*ye would
gladly see ten battalions of the Achaians in front
of you ! ” % * , 4

And Odysseus, the crafty ^>ne, looked ^sternly
at.him, and said*: “ What a word hath passed the
hedge of thy teeth ! When once we have roused
fierce Ares against* the hor^e-taming Trojans,
then shalt thou see the dear sire of relemachos
fighting against the front ranks of the Trojans.
Idle as the wind aVe thy words ! ”

jf\nd Agamemnoh was glad when he saw him
angfy, and^ spake to him with soothing *words :
“ O Heaven-born son of* Laertes, Odysseus of many
devices, gladly do # I revoke my words, and will
make thee amends hereafter ; for J know that thy
hea*rt is well disposed.” •

Then he went on to others; ^nd found great
D.iomedes standing idle by his chariot, in the
space between the battalions, and with him
Sthenelos, the son of Kapaneus ; and him Jie
chode with winged words : “ O Diomedes, so?i of
the sage and warlike Tydeus, why dost thou stand
gazing ?$t the bridges of the army ? Thy father,

62

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

they say—for I never saw him—did not Shrink
from tHe clash of arms, but was ever in front of
his dear companions. And ye know that the
Achaians sent him as ambassador to Thebes, where
he founcj the sons of Kadmos feasting in the halls
of great Eteokles. And he had no fear, though
alonQf among so many, but challenged them ail to
trials of strength, and beat them all by the aid of
Athene. And when the horse-goading Kadmeians,
being wroth, set an ambush of fifty youths, under
godlike Maion ,and AiKdphonos, both mighty
men of valour, he slew them all but one, even
Maion, whflm he seyit home, ^obeying an oracle
from tfte gods.” #

And great>Didmedes answered him not a woi;d,
for he respected the rebuke of the King ; * but
Sthenelos, the son # of glorioiis Kapaneus, spake
angriry and said : 4 ‘ Atreides ! why dost thou, who
knowest how to speak wisely, utter idle lies ?
We s£y, that we are better men *than our fathers ;
for with a smaller force we tfiok* the seven-gated
city of Thebes, following the omens of the gods,
and trusting in the aid of 3eus. And they perished
in their insolence.” t

But'the strong Diomedes frowned at him, and
said, “ Little Father ^ be silent, and listen to fny
words. I blcwne t him hot for urging us to fight.
For his will be the glory, if we take holy Ilios ; and
his the shame and sorrow, if we fail.” *

• And as the mighty sea waves, driven by the
strong west wind, break with loud beflowing on
the shore, so, in serried ranks, the Achaians
moved to battle. But the Trojans—Jiike the

XI APOLLO RALLIES THE TROJANS 63

counties sheep which stand in the courtyard
of some wealthy man, bleating incessantly in
answer to their lamb^, ard waiting to be*milked—
came on with discordant cries; for they came
from many lands, and spake with different tongues.
These were urged on by great Ares, and those by
the ferce-eyed Athene. And Terror was there,
and Panic, and Strife, the insatiate Sister of
murderous Ares ; sho, humble at first, soon riseth,
and'striketh heaven with her head, while her feet
are on the ground. 4 • • *

Then they joined, battle, and dashed thejr
shields together, wkh a mighty din ; l:hen were
heard the triumphant shouts of jhe victors aifd th<*
groans of, the dying. A fearful slaughter was
made # on both sides.

And Odysseus wa& foremost # in the battle ; and
seeing his brave comrade, Leukos, fall by the keen
javelin of Antiphos, the son of Priam, he rushed
tQ the front rank* and slew DemakoOn, an&ther
son of Priam. • •

Th*en the Trojans, and even the glorious
Hektor, drew back, and the Argives shouted in
triumph. But*Appllo was looking down from
Pergamos, with grief at the slaughter of the
Trojans ; and he cried aloud asid said:

“ Ye men of Troy! ‘arise t and face the
Argives! They are not made of stone or iron,
but of yielding flesh. And remember that
Achilles, the great son of fair-haired Thetis, no
longer figh?etn, but abideth full of wrath in his
tents.” * * •

Then jhe Trojans returned, with full eourage,

THE BOY’S ILIAD

iCH. XI

64

to the fight. And on the other side, the fierce-
eyed Athene, the Trito-born goddess* urged oft the
Achaians f so the murderous^battle w&s renewed,
and many Achaians and many Trojans lay side
by side in the blood-stained dust. * r

CHAPTER XII

The warlike Pallas* Athene put resistless force
into the heart of Diomedes, son of Tydeus, and
made him foremost afnong the*Argiv£ Chiefs.
She caused a flame to flash from his shield and
helmet, glowing lifce the Summer Staf when Tie
riseth from among the streams of Okeanos. #

And the two sons of Dares, 0 the •noble and
wealthy priest of Hephaistos, met the raging 1
Diomedes face to face—they in^ their chariot, while
he remained on foot. And Thegeus first hhrled
his long spear against Tydeides, but it passed
harmless over hh eJioulder. Then, in # turn,
Tydejdes cast his^pe&r, and f smote Thegeus in the
bre^St, and |ie fell headlong from his car. • Then
Idaios, not daring to protect the body of his
brother, leapt *frojn his chariot and ran ; and
Hephaistos wrapped him in a mist, # and savecl him,
for the sake of his aged priest*

The fierce-eyed Palla^ seized the hand of
furious Ares, and spake gently to him: ‘‘Ares,
Ares! thou blood-stained pest to mortal men ! let
us now leave the Trojans and Achaians to figjit
it out alone ; and let great Zeus give the glory to
whom he will; but we twain will give way, lest
we rouse^his wrath against us/’

F

66

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

Then she led Ares, all unwilling, frbm the
field, £nd set r him by the high-banked Skamandros.

Agamemnon and Idomeneus and Menelaos slew
many of the bravest of the Trojans, whom Ares no
longer aided. Therakles, son of the skilrul crafts¬
man Harmonides—the worker loved by Athene
before all others, for that he was skilled in all
manner of curious work — was smitten in the
buttock by Meriones ; he it was who built the
well-balanced ships of Alexandros, which brought
woe to T^oy and to himself, for he regarded not
the oracles of the gods.

And Tydeides rushed upon the Trojan
battalions ; and they dared not meet him, for all
that they were £o many, and he but one. i*nd
when Pandaros, the famous son of Lykaon, saw
him storming like a whirlwind over the plain, and
driving the Trojans before him, he bent his
crooked bow, and launched an arrow at him,
and struck him in the shorldei. Then Pandaros
shouted to the Trojans in triumph : “ Rouse your¬
selves, ye high-hearted Trojans! the best of the
Achaians is wounded ; not long will he endure
the sharp dart, if indeed Apollo sent me here
from Lykia.” The great Diomedes, however, was
not subdued by the sharp arrow. He called aloud
to Sthenelos, the son of Kapaneus, “ Quick, dear
son of Kapaneus, and draw the bitter dart from
my shoulder! ” And quickly brave Sthenelos
leapt from his shining car, and drew forth the
arrow, and the blood spurted from the wound.
Then he prayed to Athene, daughter of iEgis-
bearing Zeus : “ If ever thou didst aid ny father

XII • DIOMEDES IS WOUNDED 67

in tile* stress of battle, O unweariec^ Maiden ! do
tho\i befriend me now! Grant me to slay this
man, who* boasteth* that not for long®shall I see
the light of day ! ”

Athene heard him, and put fresh strength into
his limbs, and spake to him winged words : “ Fear
not,*Diomfcdes, to fight the Trojans ; for P*have
given Jthee thy father’s courage. Lo ! I take the
mist from thine eytfs, that thou mayest distinguish
between gods and men. But do thou not fight
against any of the 'deathless *gods, *save only
Aphrodite, the Cyprian Queen ; her only mayest
thou smite with \he sharp tbronze.”* And the
keen-eyed Athene left him f but he went back
into the> throng with threefold courage. And as
a lion, whom the shepherd hath slightly wounded,
leaps into the fold, scattering and slaying the
sheep, so the furious Diomedes raged among the
Trojans.

.But when thfc b?ave Aineias, son of golden
Aphrodite, saw* T^deides^making sad havoc of
th^Trojan warriors, ht went *his way among the
bristling speafs, and 'sought the good archer
Pandaros ; and when he found him said to him :
u Pandaros, where now is thy /amous bow, in
handling which no man, hfere or in Lykia, can
rival thee? Pray now to Zeiis,*and send an
arrow at this man, whosoever he is, who hath loosed
the knees of many a brave Trojan ! Surely some
god mus£ be angry with the Trojans for lack of
sacrifices ; and the anger of a god is a fdkrful
thing.”

Thetnoble son of Lykaon answered him: “By

68

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

his shield and w the crest on his helmet, I guesS that'
he is the great son of Tydeus ; and yet I am not
sure that he is not a god. c But if it be the man
I mean, then, surely, some immortal god is stand¬
ing by him, with a mist around his shoulders, and
is warding off* my useless darts. I have already
sent r& shaft against him, and struck Him on the
shoulder, right through his corslet ; and yet I
pierced not the tender flesh. And, alas ! I have
no chariot near, though in my father Lykaon’s
house, there are eleven well-built cars ; and that
brave warrior, the aged Lvkaon, urged me to take
one of them to the war ; but fool that I was,
did not hearken to'him; and I took down my
bow from its peg, and came on foot to love*ly
Hios, to please the noble Hektor. If ever I return
to my dear home, then will I break this bow with
my own hands and cast it into the fire.”

Noble Aineias, leader of the horse-taming
Dardans, answered him: “ SpeaK not thus idly/
but mount my car, and thou $ilt see of what
mettle are the hor&es of King Tros, ‘which the
great Thunderer, Zeus, gaVe him ih exchange for
his fair son Ganymedes. Whether we be victorious
or have to flee, they will bear us safely back to
Troy.”

Lykaon’s no We son" replied : “Take thou the
reins ; for the horses know thy hand and thy voice ;
and I will meet great-hearted Diomedes with my
spear.”

Sthenelos, the son of the presumptuous Kapaneus
4 —cff him whom Zeus struck by lightning, when
he was scaling the walls of Thebes, because he

XII • PANDAROS AND AINpIAS 69

boasted th^t not even the fire pf the Great
Thunderer could stop him—saw the two Trojan
heroes coming, and he* spake to the bold son of
Tydeus^: “ Qear friend, I see two valiant warriors,
eager to attack thee ; even Pandaros, Lykaon’s
son, and Aineias, born of the golden Aphrodite to
high-hearted Anchises. Therefore, let us retreat,
lest thou, too, lose thy life.”

# And the dauntless Diomedes frowned at him,
and spake thus : “Talk not to me of flight! It
is not in my heart to flinch or ‘fckulk, ^nd Pallas
Athene bids me not tp fear. I will not m^unt
the chariot, but w?il go, even* as I am, on jfoot, to
meet them. And do thou mark well my words !
If ^Jie great goddess, Athene, graift* me to slay
them both, then d$ thou leap upon their chariot
and drive it to the Achaian host; for the # horses
are oP the breed which All-seeing Zeus gave to
Tros, in return for Ganymedes his son.” #
While they thus talked, the Trojan heroes drew
near*; and first *the noble»son of Lykaon spake:
“(3 thou strong and wily son of haughty "Tydeus,
my arrow .overcame thbe not! Now I will make
trial with my* lance! ” So saying, he hupled his
lopg-shafted spear ; and it passed sight through th$
shield of Diomedes, and # struck his breastplate.
Pandarosshouted in triumph: “Tho'uart wounded
in the belly; not long wilt thou hold up thy
head; arid great glory is mine ! ”

But th£ mighty Diomedes, undismayed, replied ;
“ Thou hast missed, and hast not smitten me.
And one of you twain*shall fall and glut*the?
murderous God of War.” So he spake, and

70 THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

hurled his javelin ; and Athene guided the deadly
bronze right through the face of Pandaros, near
the eye. And he dropped from his chariot, and
death overshadowed him.

Them Aineias leaped down, and bestrode his
fallen friend, like a lion trusting in his strength ;
for be feared lest the Achaians should' carry the
body away. Then Tydeides took up a huge
stone, such as two men, as men now are, could
not move ; but he lifted it with ease, and threw it
at Aineias. r And "it fell on the top of his thigh¬
bone—on the socket or cup in which the thigh¬
bone turneth—and toie both the skin and the sinews.
Then the noble hero Aineias fell on his knees, and
black night cbvered his eyes ; and he woilld haVe
perished utterly, had not his dear mother, the
golden Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus, seen him
and come to save him. She raised him in her
white arms, and covered him with a fold of her
shining garment, to protect Him from the darts of
the enemy.

Mearitime, the son of Kapaneus, the worthy
Sthenelos, remembering the behest of Diomedes,
leapt up on the chariot of Ainei'as, and drove the
glorious horses cf Tros to the Achaian ranks.

But Diomedes, when he saw the white-armed
Aphrodite bearing off her dear son from the field,
was by no means overawed. He rushed upon her,
with his cruel blade, knowing that she wis a weak
, and 1 timid goddess, and not like those who rule
in tfie battle-^-no Athene ! no Enyo (Bellona) !
Stormer of cities, the companion of bloodthirsty
Ares! So the undaunted son of Tydeui 1 feared

XII TYDEIDES WOUNDS APHRODITE 71

not td ’follow her through the press, dfid to thrust
at Her with his spear. And the point ‘of his
lance passed right through the ambrosial garment
which the blooming C/iarites (Graces) themselves
had woven for her ; and it wounded hgr weak
hand, at the base of the palm ; so that the divine
ichor, the ‘blood of the immortals, flowed \out.
For the blessed gods eat no bread and drink
no wine such as \fre mortals use, and they are
bloodless. *

Then, with a loud scfeam, Aphrodite dropped
her dear son, Aineias * but Phoibos Apollo sav^ it
all, and # he took hfin up, and hare him'away in his
arms, concealed in a dark cloud.• The bold Tydeides
shotted after Aphrodite as she fled away, and said
to her : <c Daughter^ of Almighty Zeus ! do thoif
retire from war and battle ! Qo away and seduce
weak Women ; for if thou wilt mingle with ‘fight¬
ing men, thou shalt learn to shudder at the very
name of war ! ” * •

And the terrified goddess, bewildered and
smarting with the pain she felt, withdrew.* Swift
Iris came. to *her, and led her away from the
crowd, full of anguish, and her lovely skin was
dyfd with the ichor from her v*ound. t)n her
way she found Ares, the famous God of War,
sitting by the Skamandro*s, to #the left of the
battlefield, with his fleet horses, and with his huge
spear, leaning against a cloud. Then she knelt
before hirp, and implored him, saying, “Oh, dear
Brother, save me ! Lend me thy # horses, tlfat V
may speed to high 01ym^>os, the dwelling of *the
gods ! or I suffer from a painful wotmd, dealt

72

THE BOY'S ILIAD

CH.

by a mortal, who would, I think, fight even great
Zeus himsel/! ”

She sp^ke, and Ares gave her his chariot; and
she mounted thereon, sore stricken at heart; and
Iris satJby her side, and took the reins, and lashed
the willing horses, and they quickly came to high
Olympos. There the lovely Aphrodite fell upon
the knees of her dear mother, Dione ; and Dione
caressed her with her hand, and called her by her
name : “ Dear child, who now, of all the gods, hath
thus evil treated.thee, as if thou hadst done some
wrong in the sight of all men ? ”

The beauteous Aphrodite answered her : “ The
haughiy Diomedes^ son of Tydeus, wounded me
when I was ..carrying off my son, Aineias, from
the field, who is the dearest to me of all. And
the strife is no longer between the Trojans and
Achaians alone ; for the Danaoi are waging war on
the Immortals."

And Dione soothed her, and said: “ Bear ,up,
dear child, for all thy grief; for many of us have
suffered like things from mortal men. r Otos and
Ephialtes, those mighty giants, imprisoned Ares,
the great God of War, in a vessel of bronze for
thirteen months. So also the son of Amphitryon,
the godlike Heraklts, wounded Hera, wife of
Zeus and Queers of Heaven, with a three-barbed
arrow, in the right breast. And the same man
smote the fearful Aides (Pluto) in Pylos, among
the, Dead, at the gate of the infernal regions, with
a dart, and caused him the keenest anguish.
And now the fierce-eyed Athene hath sent great
Diomedes against thee; blind fool that he is ! who

xn • DIONE SOOTHES APHRODITE 73

knovfeth not that*he who fighteth jvith the gods
is of no long life, nor do his children prattle on
his knees < 5 n his return <0 his own home. So let
the mighty son of Tydeus beware, lest Aigialeia,
his wedcled wife, should one day rousq^ up her
servants from their beds, bewailing her dear lord,
tjie best of the Achaians.” Then she wiped'^way
the ichor from the wound, and caused Aphrodite’s
pain to cease. •

*But HerS. and Athene looked on, mockingly,
and addressed the Soil of Kronos with bitter
taunts ; and the fierce-eyed Athene was the first to
speak :*“0 Father Zeus! .wilt thou be angry
with me for what I say ? N® doubt the Cyprian
Queen was seeking to join some Achaian woman
to the Trojans, whom she passionately loves ; and
in caressing her, with her delicate hand, hath torn
it on a*golden buckle ! ”

The Great Father smiled, and called # the
gqjden Aphroditd to* him, and said : “ It # is not
for thee, my child, *to meddle with the tasks of
waf, but with those of love ahd marriage ; leave
the feats of arms to Arts and Athene.”

Meanwhile; Diomedes of the loud war - cry
rushed furiously upon Aineias, tjiough he knew
that Apollo himself was shielding him with his
arms—so eager was he to slay the Trojan Prince,
and to despoil him of his splendid armour. Thrice
he rushed at him, and thrice the great god beat
him back. But when, the fourth time, he again
came on like a god, the Far-Darjer shouted at
him, with a terrible voi(!e : “ Beware, Tydeides!
of matching thyself against the gods ! fdr there is

' CH.

74 THE BOY’S ILIAD

no comparison between the race of the deathless
gods and mortal men.’'

Then Diomedes shrank: back a little, fearing
the wrath of the Far-Darter ; and ( Apollo bare
away Afneias to his temple in holy Pergamos.
There Leto (Latona) and her daughter, the holy
Arter.iis (Diana), Lover of the Chase, tended him,
in the sanctuary, and healed his wounds. But
Apollo made a phantom of Aiheias, in his armour,
round which the Trojans and Achaians fought
furiously, and mahy, on b6th sides, bit the ground.
Th/?n Apollo shouted aloud, calling on impetu¬
ous Ares : l< Ares, Ares ! bloodthirsty scourge of
mortal men! wilt thou not take away this
furious manr, this Tydeides, who would fight with
£eus himself? ”

Then baleful Ares went among the Trojans, in
the likeness of the Thracian leader, swift Akamas,
and,,cried : “ How long, ye sons of Priam, the care
of Heaven !—how long will ye see your comrades
slain by the Achaians ? o Aineias, the peer of great
Hektor, has fallen, and many around him are
slain.”

The noble Lykian Prince, -Sarpedon, harshly
rebuked the godlike Hektor : “ Where now, O
Hektor, is the spirit which once was thine ?
Thou boastedst that without us, thy allies, thou
couldst hold the city, with thy brothers and thy
sisters’ husbands. Where are they ? ,v they are
cowering like hounds before a lion ; and we, thine
allies, alone ape fighting. I myself came from
distant Lykia, on the eddying Xanthos, leaving
wife and child and all my vast possessions; and I

XII SARPEDON UPBRAIDS H^KTOR 75

urge bn my Lykian warriors, and fight, myself,
though I have nothing here to gain or to
lose.” . •

So spqke ^he glorious Sarpedon, and touched
the noble son of Priam to the quick ; and he leapt
from his chariot, in full armour, brandishing two
spears, and 'roused his men to fight. And soon
they rallied, and faced the Achaians, who stood
their ground in battle array.

And furious Ares veiled the field of battle in
dark clouds, to help the Trojafis, obeying the
behest of Phoibos Apollo, God of the Golden
Sword, that he should rouse the Trojans wljen he
saw Pallas Athene departing. • And now, Apollo
brought forth A'ineias from his rich* temple, and
filled his heart with, courage. And Aineias took
his place again among his comrades, who rejpiced
to see him alive and well, and full of martial
vigour. #

• And against thenf the twain Aiantes, those
mighty men of war, and tke wily Odysseus, and
the«terrible*Diomedes, urged on the Danaoi*to the
battle, though they were* of themselves, in no fear
of the Trojans*. And Atreides, King o£ men,
ma 4 e harangue and said : “ Brave comrades ! bear
a stout heart, and quit ye like men, and fear to
dishonour yourselves in eacVi others’* eyes ! The
brave man is safer than the coward ; for in flight
is neither Safety nor glory.”

Then, pushing forward, he smote Deikoon,
son of Pergasos, the high-spirited friend of
Aineias, who was honoured as the sons of Priam,
for he vfias ever foremost in the fight. Him

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH

76

Atreides pierced through the belly, and he fell
with a mighty crash.

Aineias slew two mighty champions of the
Achaians, even Krethon and Orsilochos, sons of
Dioklec*, a wealthy man of Phere, the grandson
of the river Alpheios ; these two godlike heroes
Ainfeias slew with his spear, and they fell, like two
tall pines. And Menelaos pitied them, when he
saw them fall; and he went to the front rank,
brandishing his spear. But Antilochos, son of
wise Nestor, went arid stood by Menelaos,
Shepherd of the Host; for he greatly feared lest
he should fall by «the hand ’ of Aineias. But
Aineias, brave as he was, was not minded to face
the twain heroes ; so these dragged away the two
corpses to the ranks of the Achaians.

And now, Menelaos, returning to the fight,
slew the mighty warrior Pylaimenes, peer of
Ares; and Antilochos hurled a great stone at
Mydon, his charioteer, and smote him on -the
elbow, and he dropped the reins. But Antilochos
flew at him, and drove his sword through' his
temple, and he fell headlong in the dust.

But great Hektor was awat'e of them, athwart
the ranks, and rushed upon them with loud shouts,
followed by all the strength of the Trojan battalions.
And Ares arid the awful Enyo (Bellona) led them
on ; Ares brandishing his huge spear, and ranging
round noble Hektor. Tydeides shuddfcred as he
saw them, and spake : “ Comrades ! no wonder
that noble Hektor is thus bold, since there is
always some god near him, who guardeth him
from evil; even as now I see Ares the»e, in the

XII TLEPOLEMOS AND SARPEDON 77

likeness of a man. * Let us then slpwly retreat,
but with our faces to the foe, and let us teware
of fighting against the gc*ds ! ” *

Then Hektor slew i^Ienestheus and Anchialos,
riding in one chariot, brave warriors, who knew
the joy of battle. And Aias saw them fall, and
pitied* them*; and he rushed forward, and sfitote
Amphion, son of rich Selagos, of Paisos ; and his
armour clattered lolidly as he fell. And the
glorious son of Telamon ran forward, with a cry,
to strip him of his beautiful arhiour ; but the
Trojans poured their* bright javelins upon hi?i,
like raift from a* thunder - floud. And f Aias
dragged out his spear from the corpse, but could
not* ^espoil it of the armour, so thirk was the
flight of spears against him. Great and brave and
haughty as he was, he feared ^he multitude # that
pressed tipon him, and shrank back.

So toiled they in the furious fight. Apd
Tlepolemos, son of Hferakles, peer of the gods, a
tall and valiant hian, was Jed by resistless Fate
against the*heaven-born Sarpedon. Whert these
twain, the $on and the*grandson of Cloud-com¬
pelling Zeus, came near to one another, TlepQlemos
spake first: “ Sarpedon, chief of* the Lykians !
why dost thou crouch and skulk, like one un¬
versed in war ? How do men say that thou art
a son of iEgis-bearing Zeus, since thou canst not
compare tltyself with the men of olden days, who
were born # of the Thunderer ? What a man Wits
the terrible Herakles, my father, ^ho came to
Troy to capture Laomedon’s mares, with only s*ix
ships and* a small following! and yet he sacked

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

78

the holy city of Ilios, and laid* it waste. Brit thou
art a*man of feeble spirit — no defence for the
Trojans. • Strong as thou art, thou Shalt fall by
my hand, and go down to^the Gates of Hades.”

The valorous Sarpedon, leader of the Lykians,
answered him : “ Thy father destroyed holy Ilios
through the folly of the haughty Ladmedon, who
treated him ill, and gave him not the steeds which
he came so far to fetch. BuV to thee black death
is near, and my spear shall gain gfeat glory/and
send thy soul to Tartaros/’
v Thus spake they, and threw their long spears
at the same moment. The‘'spear of ^Sarpedon
struck Tlepolemos^ son of Herakles, in the neck,
and passed right through ; and darkness*veiled his
eyes ; the lance of Tlepolemos struck Sarpedon
in the thigh, an^i grazed the bone; but his
father Zeus warded off the doom of death. And
a^ they bore away Sarpedon from the battle, no
man' marked the spear whkh fras dragging from
his thigh along the ground.* The Achaians bore
away the dead body of Tlepolemos. * ‘ 1

The goodly patient ©dysseus*saw it, and his
great ^spirit was stirred within him." He bethought
him, whether to follow Sarpedon, son of Zeus, or
to turn upon the cofnmon herd of Lykians, and to
take their lives* And Athene bade him turn his
fury upon the crowd. Many of them he slew,
and would have slain still more; but great Hektor
marked him, and rushed to the front o£ the battle,
in* his flashing armour, and terrified the Danaoi.
Sarpedon rejoiced, wheh he saw the noble Hektor
coming,* and said to him : “O son of JViam! let

XII

GREAT DEEDS OF HEKTOR 79

me ntot fall into ftie hands of the JDanaoi; but
bear me into the city, that I may die there ; since
I may not’ again see my home, my wife and my
little son.” But Hektor hastened on, and spake
no word*to the wounded Lykian Chief; so eager
was he to drive back the Danaoi, and to slaughter
then!. But the comrades of Sarpedon carried*him
to the.shade of a mighty oak tree of Zeus, and
made him sit; and*brave Pelagon drew the ashen
spdar from Ifis thigh. Darkness still veiled his
eyes ; but the north Vlnd blew upon him and
refreshed his fainting ♦soul. #

Now* the Argtves neither* turned *their backs
on Ares and mail-clad Hektor, nor diS they
advance#to meet them; but slowly retreated,
through fear of Ares. *

Who, then, of the Argives^was slain by noble
Hektor and the bronze-clad Ares? By their
hands fell noble Teuthras, and the charioteer
Orestes, Trechos the Aitolian spearman, Oinomaos
and Jdelenos, aifd fich Oi^sbios with the varie¬
gated girdle, who came from Hyle, on the* shores
of the Kephisian lake in'Boiotia.

But when the wjiite-armed Hera saw the havoc
they were making among the Argives, she spake
to Athene : <l O ye Gods! O thou Daughter of
Zeus, unfaltering Maiden! was tit'for this that
we promised Menelaos that he should lay low the
strong-wailed city of Troy—if we allow malignant
Ares thus to rage ? Let us twain then mingle nn
the battle ! # ” #

So did she speak, and the fierce-eyed Mkid
assented.^ And Hera, Queen of Heavfen, went

8 o

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

herself to harness her divine horses, of the gblden
frontlets. And lovely Hebe, ever young, fixed
the eight-spoked wheels ^of bronze 1 6 the iron
axle-tree ; the felloes were of gold, indestructible,
with tires of bronze ; the naves of the wheels were
of silver, revolving on both sides of the car. And
the chariot itself was plaited tight with gold and
silver thongs, and two rails ran round about it.
The silver pole projected from the car, and to the
end of it lovely Hebe bound the beatltiful yoke of
gold, under which great Hera placed the wind-
sw'ft horses, longing for strife and war.

And the fierce-eyed Athene, 'daughter of Zeus,
cast off her soft and many-tinted vesture, which
her own hands had wrought, and donned the tunic
of Loud-thundering Zeus, and armed herself for
grievous war. Around her shoulders she threw
her tasselled aegis, on which are Panic and Strife,
hfgh Courage, and chilly Rout, and the dreadful
head of the monster Gorgon, g?im and horrible.,
fearful to look upon* the portent of Almighty
Zeus. “ And Athehe set upon her mighty head
her four - crested golden 1 helm, \Vith bosses all
round f it, adorned with figures-of the warriors of
a hundred cities. Then she mounted the chariot,
sparkling like fire, arid grasped the mighty spear,
with which She chastiseth the heroes with’whom
she, the daughter of a terrible sire, is angry.

And Hera seized the reins, and plied the lash.
The Gates of Heaven, which are guarded by the
blooming HQurs, flew open of themselves ; and
the chariot passed thrbugh, and sped to high
Olympos’ on the summit of which th»y found

XII HERA VISITS A.CHAIAN CHIEFS 81

Zeus, the Son of Kronos, sitting apart from all
the other gods.

And the white-armecf goddess, Her£, spake to
her almighty. Spouse, ^nd said : cc O Father! art
thou not wroth with Ares, for his frantic* deeds ?
Seest thou not what a crowd of noble Achaians he
hath recklessly destroyed, to my great sorrt>w ?
It is the Cyprian Aphrodite, and Apollo of the
Silyer Bow, who have roused this lawless madman,
while they look on, greatly pleased, and take their
ease. Wilt thou be angry with me, if I smite
him, and chase him from the field ? ” •

And # the Cloud-Gatherei Answered her *, “ Go,
then, and set Athene, driver*of, the spoil, upon
him; sh b knoweth best how to punishTfim.” #

And the white r armed goddess obeyed his
words, and lashed her willing ^horses ; and.they
flew between the earth and the starry heaven.
Far as a watchman can see from a tower v ever
t^hob wine-dark sea, far leapt at a bound the
loud-»neighing horses driven*by Hera.

•When they came to the junction of the rivers
Simoeis and Skamandros, the goddess drew the
reins and stopped *the divine horses. Then she
unyoked them from the chariot, aifd hid them in
a thick mist; and the rivqr Simoeis caused am¬
brosial grass to spring up for therfi to graze upon.
And the twain glorious goddesses moved along,
with the gait of timid turtle-doves, eager to help
the Danaoi. And when they came to where ffie
most valiant of the Chiefs were gathered round
great Diomedes, like lions or savage boars of the
forest, then Athene, in the form of Stentor of

82

CH.

JHE BOY’S ILIAD

the brazen vo : ce—whose cry was louder than that
of fifty common men—shouted to the Argives :
“ Fie on you, shameless towards! As long as
noble Peleides fought for r you, no ^rojan dared
to issue from the gates of Dardanos ; tut now
they are fighting near the hollow ships ! ”

Thus roused she the fainting courage of the
Argives. And she found great Diomedes, standing
by his horses, trying to cool the wound that the
archer Pandaros had dealt him ; and he was weary
with raising his ‘belt and" wiping away the clotted
blcod beneath it. , *

And the white-armed goddess, Hera, began to
chide him fiercely, saying, “ How little is the son
of Tydeus'like his noble father! low in station,
indeed, was he, but a mighty, warrior. He went
once on an embassy to Thebes ; and I counselled
him to feast peaceably with the Kadmians in their
habs, and not to fight; but he, with the valiant
soul of the men of yore, challenged all their noblest
youths, and beat them easily, because I helped
him. 'But as for thee, though I stand beside
thee and bid thee fight bravely, either thou
art weary, or terror hath seized thy heart. If
that be so, thou art no true son of the gallant
Tydeus.”

The sturdy Diomedes answered her : u I
know thee, Daughter of iTgis - bearing ‘ Zeus ;
and therefore I will tell thee all that" is in my
h^art. No depressing fear hath go*- hold of
me ; but I am mindful of thy command, not to
fight with any of the' blessed gods, save only
Aphrodite. Her I wounded, and drave her from

XII

DIOMEDES WOUNDS ARES 83

the field. Therefore it is that I fid 1 back, with
all the Argives, because I see the murderous Ares
raging in the fight/’ * #

Then § the, fierce-eyed goddess was glad, and
spake to him winged words : “ O son of Tydeus,
dear to my soul, fear not Ares, or any other of
the deathless gods ; for I will help thee. # And,
first, at Ares drive thy car, and fight him, hand
to # hand ; and be nit in awe of the mad furious
god — that compound # of every evil thing, the^ re¬
creant turncoat, who so* lately promised me and
Hera to fight againsfth^ Trojans, and to help the
Argives/ * •

Then she pulled Sthenelos dt>wn from the chariot
and^iersfclf mounted up beside T^ydefcfes ; and the
axle groaned beneath the weight of the goddess
and the gigantic hero. And^she drave straight
against* the bloodthirsty Ares, who was stripping
the armour from huge Periphras, the glorious ^on
ofjOchesias, the best C>f all the Aitolians. Athene
now*put on her'head the helmet of Hades, which
made her ‘invisible to Ares, as she did rfot wish
that he should see her.

But when the baneful Ares saw great Dipmedes
coming towards him, he left tht dead body of,
huge Periphras, lying on th'e ground, and made
for Tydeides. First, Ares thrust # his spear at
Diomedes, over the yoke of the chariot, to take
away his life ; but the fierce-eyed goddess seized
the spear )jvith her hand, and made it pass harm¬
lessly over the car. Then Tydeide^ of the loud
war-cry thrust at Ares ; and Pallas Athene drave
the spea*, low down, into the belly of the dreadful

8 4

THE BOY’S ILIAD

(

CH.

god, and it rent his white flesh, and wounded him
sorely. Then Ares cried out, as loudly as the
united battk-cry of nine or ten thousand warriors.
Trojans and Argives listened, trembling, to the
mighty roar of the wounded god ! And the son
of Tydeus saw huge Ares passing away, amid the
clouds, like a gloomy mist after heat, driven by a
stormy wind !

Quickly, then, the fearful Ares reached Olympos,
the dwelling of the deathless gods ; and came,
moaning, to the side of Zeus, and showed him the
imniortai ichor flowing from his wound ; and
spake with woeful words to his Almighty Father :

u O Father Zeus ! art thou not wroth, to see
the outrageous deeds which we gods inflict upon
one another, for the sake of mortal men ? We
are all^angry with thpe, for begetting that truculent
Maiden, even Athene, who is ever planning in¬
famous deeds. All the rest of the Immortals obey
thy voice; only her thou never chidest — this
pernicious, headstrongo maiden, because shtp is
thy daughter. And now she has moved Tydeicks,
the haughty Diomedes, to rage against the im¬
mortal gods ! The Cyprian Queen, even laughter-
loving Aphrodite, hath he wounded in the wrist ;
and me, even me , the God of War, he hath
attacked and Smitten ! ”

But the Loud-thundering Zeus looked askance
at Ares, and said : “ Thou shifting recreant! come
not whimpering to me! Of all the Olympians,
I hate thee most ; for thou lovest strife and war.
The spirit of thy mother, too, even Hera, is
stubborn and intolerable ; and I can hardily con-

XII PAIEON yEALS AI^ES 85

. • •

trol her . Nevertheless, as thou art»my sqn, I will
no longer # see thee in pain. If any other god but
myself had been thy 'father, thou wbuldst have
been the lowest of tho heavenly gods.”

Then Zeus commanded Paieon, the physician
of tjie gods, to heal Ares ; and Paieon laid sooth¬
ing ungents upon his wound, and heale& him
quickly, for he was not of mortal race. And
Hebe, ever t young and fair, bathed him, and clad
him in a shining robe ; and he sat down again by
Zeus, rejoicing in his recovered health.

And the twain goddesses, even Hera of Argos
and Athene of Alalkomerfai (her birthplace in
Boiotia), returned to the jSal^ce of great Zeus,
Pacing stayed the ravages of Ares.

CHAPTER XIII

Now that the gods had left the field, the fortune
of battle swayed from side to side, as the Trojans
and Achaians hurled their javelins at one another
in the plain between Simoeis and Xanthos.

Tel?monian Aias*' a tower of defence to the
Achaians, showed his comrades the^way to victory.
He smote tlie foremost warrior of the TKrakians,
even the mighty Akamas, the goodly son of
Eusso^os ; him the'sharp bronze pierced in the
forehead, and dark night veiled his eyes. Then
loud- shouting Diomedes slew Axylos, son of
Teuthramos, a rich man of 4 riste, dear to his
countrymen, the most hospitable of men ; but no
one of ’all his friends was there to save him
from dire destruction at the hands of the terrible
Diomedes. And the son of Tydeus also slew
Axylos’ charioteer, Kalesios ; and the twain passed
down together to Hades. And many others fell,
on either side, and bit the dust.

But Menelaos of the loud war-cry took one
man captive, even Adrastos. His horses had
taken fright, and rushed madly across the plain ;
and the chariot ran against a tamarind tree and
broke the end of the pole; and Adrastos was
rolled out on to the ground. And whert he saw

86

ch. xiii CRUELTY OF AGAMEMNON 87

the auburn-hairecf Menelaos coming at him with
his long-shafted spear, he clung to his knees and
implored’him with pkeous words : #“ Take me
alive, great son of At^eus ! and accept a countless
ransom* which my father will gladly give»from his
rich treasure—gold and silver and wrought iron
«—if he hears that I am still alive ! ” *•

Aud Menelaos was moved to pity, and was
about to bid his cotnrades lead Adrastos captive to
tlie ships ; 'when Agamemnon came running to
him, and called to him gently : “ O my dear
Menelaos ! why art* thou so tender towards* our
enemies ? Have'they wrought good things for thee
and for thy house ? Nay, not one of them must
escape from oui* hands, not even tbe youngest child.”

Then, with changed mind, Menelaos thru&t
Adrastos from him ; and Agamemnon drave his
spear into his side, and killed him.

Nestor, with his far - reaching voice, called
. lpudly to the Arrives : “ Friends and warriors!
let .no man tatVy in the «rear to strip the fallen ;
bn't press on, to slay your dnemies ! ” »And his
words stirred ‘the heart of every man. And now
would the Argiyes have chased the Trojans to
their city, had not the wise Augur, Helenos, son
of royal Priam, drawn rfear to noble Hektor
and goddess - born Aineias, with • spirit - stirring
words :

“ Hektor and Aineias! the burden of the war
rests chiefly upon you ; for ye are the foremost
of the Trojans and Dardans, in war and in counsel.
Therefore be steadfast,* and stand your grcfund,
and ralty the host at the gates, before they flee to

88

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

the arms of their wives, and become a mock'to the
enemy. r And when ye have aroused them, we will
remain her<e to meet the^Danaoi; but do thou,
Hektor, go to our dear mother, Hekabe ; and bid
her repair, with the aged women, to the temple of
the fierce-eyed Athene. And let her lay the most
beau^ful and graceful garments, which she herself
most highly values, on the knees of fair-haired
Athene ; and let her sacrifice twelve glossy kine
of one year old, which have never felt the goad ; and
let Her earnestly implore the mighty daughter of
great Zeus to have pity on »our wives and little
children. Then, perhaps, she wfil keep b&ck the
terrible' Tydeides from holy Ilios, who has shown
himself to bee by" far the best of* the Aehaians ;
hardly did we fear the great prince Achilles, the
son of a goddess, so much ! So terrible is he,
and none of us can fesist him.”

Great Hektor did not disregard his brother’s
counsel. Leaping from his chartot, and brandish¬
ing two sharp spears, hp reviewed* his troops .and
roused them to the battle. Then they turned a?d
faced the foe; and the Achaians’retreated and
ceased from fighting; for they thoiight some god
had come down from Heaven to rally the Trojans,
so firm a front they showed.

The noble »Hc*ktor Spake to the Trojans, and
said: “ Ye high-spirited Trojans and famous

allies ! be men, my friends, and summon up all
your courage! I, meanwhile, will go^ to holy
Ilios? and bid our Councillors and our wives pray
to the blessed gods, and vow to them glorious
hecatombs 1 .” „

XIII DUEL OF GLAUKOS AND DIOMED 89

Now Glaukos, # the son of Hifvpolochos of
Xanthos, the Lykian Prince, and the brave
Tydeides, met in the spase between the«two hosts,
eager for a Ijght ; and when they had come near
one another, Diomedes was the first to speak :

“Who art thou ? thou boldest of men ! Never
havel seen*thee before. But thou art the handiest
of the Trojan host, since thou darest to face my
long-shafted spear. * Wretched are the parents of
those who encounter me. But if thou art one of

it>

the blessed gods, I fight ‘not with them. Not for
long did murderous Lykourgos live, who chased
the nursts of youfhful Dionysvs (Bacchus) with an
ox-goad, through the lovely graves of Nysa ; then
th« terrified god* plunged beneath the *>cean-wave,
and fair-haired Thetjs took him to her bosom, and
saved him from the raging Lykourgos. And all
the god% were angry with him ; and Zeus, the Son
of Kionos, struck him with blindness, and he ^id
nolong survive. 3 St) I beware of fighting with
the blessed gods* wfio liveaat ease. But if thou
art? a nan,* and feedest on tKe fruits of *Earth,
the gran-giver, then *come on, and meet thy
doom.” * • f

And noble Glaukos, the great ^Lykian Prince,
gave him answer : “ Thou mighty son of Tydeus !
why askes- thou me of my race at*d lineage ? The
generation; of mortal men are as the leaves of the
forest, severed by the winds of heaven ; but the
budding tje^s put forth new foliage in the lovely
spring-tide ; so one generation of, men passeth
away, and another followeth.

“ In iiorserpasturing Argos, there is the city of

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

9 0

Ephyre” ($ince named Corinth), “where dwelt
King Sisyphos, son of Aiolos, the craftiest of mortal
men. And he had a son named Giaukos ; and
the son of Giaukos was f the famous hero called
Bellerophon, as the slayer of the torinthian
Belleros. He slew also the invincible monster
Chimaira, a creature, of divine origin, with fehe
head of a lion, the tail of a serpent, and the mid-
body of a goat. Then he defeated the Solyrni ”
(who were the earliest inhabitants of'Lykia) ; “ and
that, he said, was the greatest of his feats. And
thirdly, he conquered the Amazons, *the equals of
men. t €

“Now, the wife* of Bellerophon bare him three
children—feand'ros, Hippolochos‘, and L'aod^meia,
the mother of the godlike Sarpedon. The elder
son, Isandros, fell ^ in a battle against the Solyrni ;
and'the daughter was slain by the shafts of
Artemis of the golden reins. But brave Bsllero-
phorf incurred the anger of the ^ods, and wandered
alone in the Eleian ^plains (ih Cilicia, near the
town of Mallos, between Pyramos afid Sinaros),
“ and avoided the converge of men.

“ I am the son of Hippolechos, who sent me
to Troy, and *bade me always to be the best of
all men, and not to fchame my glorious forefathers,
who were of fche noblest blood of Ephyre and
spacious Lykia. Such is the race and lineage I
can boast.” *

♦ And Diomedes of the loud war-cy f heard him
gl£dly, and fixed his spear in the Ear:h, the grain-
gitfer, and spoke with ^gentle word? to the great
chief of'the Lykians : “So, then, roble Giaukos !

XIII DIOMED AND GLAUKOS ^RIENDS 91

/ i

we are hereditary guest-friends, through mygrand-
father, Oineus, who hospitably entertained the
mighty Bellerophon for twenty days. ’Moreover,
they exchanged splendid gifts; Oineus gave a
shining purple girdle, and Bellerophon a-double
CU P g°ld, which I have left in my house. But
of my father, Tydeus, I have no remembrance;
for I was but a little one when he went to Thebes,
ancj perished with the Achaian host. Wherefore,
we twain are dear guest-friends, thou in Lykia,
and I in Mid-Argos. Let us, then, avoid each
other’s spear! There a^e Trojans enough for me
to slay ;'and for thee, multitudes of other Achaians,
whom thou mayest kill if thou canst! But let us
exdvmgd arms, that all men may know that we
are hereditary guest-friends.”

And, descending from their chariots, they clasped
each other’s hands in token of good faith. But
great Zeus clouded the mind of the noble Glauljos,
So^that he gave arnfs of gold, worth a hundred

oxen; for arms of bronze, worth only nine!

• * •

And now we must speak of Hektor, the noble
Trojan Prince* who, after Achilles, was the most
famous warrior of the two hostile armies. Achilles,
indeed, was the son of a goddess, even silver-footed
Thetis ; while Hektor’s mother; Hekabe, was a
mortal woman.

Well knowing the dangers to which he was
exposed, $nd how soon he might fall in battle,
Hektor now bethought him of his lovely wife,
Andromache, and his little boy, Astyanax. When
he came* to the Skaian Gate, the Trojan women

92

r

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

came running to him, with eager questions about
their husbands, sons, and brothers ; and sorrow
filled their hearts. Among them came his fond
and generous mother, Hekabe, leading by the
hand the fairest of her daughters, Laodike, and
she called him by his name, and spoke : “ Dear
Son*! why hast thou left the field'? Do the
Achaians press thee hard ? Dost thou come to
make prayers to Father Zeus, from the Citadel ?
But come, I will bring thee honey-sweet wine,
that thou mayest pour out a libation to Almighty
Z^us, the Son of Kronos, and refresh thyself with
a draught/’

But Hektor answered her : “ Bring me no
luscious wine, dear Mother! lest" thou r'ob me of
my strength and courage. Nor dare I make a
libation to Zeus, with hands unwashen and soiled
with blood. But go thou to the Temple of
Athene, driver of the spoil; and lay the finest
robe” the most precious to thyself, upon -her
knees; and vow to sacrifice twelve fat kine to
her; and beg her to have mercy on the Trojans,
and on their wives and little children i So, per¬
haps, she will hold back the terrible warrior,
Tydeides, from sacred Uios. And I will go and
seek out Paris; Would that the earth would
swallow him up! for Zeus hath cherished him
to be the bane of his country, and of his father,
Priam.”

Then Hekabe went to her ambrosial chamber,
and took the ,finest of her embroidered robes, the
woVk of Sidonian women, which shone like a star ;
and went, with other aged women, to the Temple

XIII

HEKTOR CHIDES PARIS

93

«. jy

of Athene. And the fair-cheeked Theano, daughter
of Kisseus, the priestess, wife of Antenor, opened
the temple ‘gates, and to®k the shining robe, and
laid it ugon Athene’s Jtnees, and prayed to the
great daughter of Zeus. But the goddess did not
grant her prayer.

• But Hektor went his way to the fair palace of
Alexandros (Paris), and found him in his chamber,
polishing his beautiful armour, and proving his
curved bow. Then, when Hektor saw him T> he
reproached him with bitter wtfrds: “ O thou

strange man ! thou dost not well to nurse tihy
spite against the Trojans, who are now perishing
before the city, and all for thy sake ! Rise, then,
now^lesrthe city be burned with fire*! ”

And the goodly ^Alexandr os answered: “It is
not so much by reason of my wrath against the
Trojan^, but? I would fain indulge my sorrow. My
wife, too, hath urged me to the battle. T^ry
than awhile, and 1 Will don my armour ; or go
thou^before, and l will follow.”

•Then th*e divine Helen, daughter of great Zeus,
came and spoke gently to Plektor, and said : “ O
Brother ! Brother of vile me, who am a dog—would
that, when my mother bare me, the storm-wind
had snatched me away to a fnountain, or a billow
of the loud-roaring sea had swept^md* away, before
all these evil things had befallen me ! Would that
I had been mated with a better man than Paris,
whose heaut is not sound, and never will be. But
come, my Brother, and sit by me ; for thou verily
hast suffered most for me,* who am a dog, and'for
the grievous sin of Paris, upon whom, surely,

94

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

»

Zeus is bringing evil days; he will be, hereafter,
a song' of scorn in the mouths of future men,
through alt time to come.”

But noble Hektor answered her : “ If thou
lovest ^me, dear Helen, bid me not stay ; for I
go to succour my friends, who long for me in
my c absence. But do thou try and rouse this
husband of thine, and bid him overtake me. As
for me, I shall first go to my home, and to my
wife and my little son ; for who knoweth whether
I shall ever return to them again ? ”

.So spake the glorious Kektor, and went his
way to his own well-furnished house ; but he
found not Andromache there ; for she had gone
to the tower, with her fair-robed nurse and ..with
ner boy, all bathed in tears. Hektor asked the
servants, whither the white-armed Andromache
was gone ; and the busy matron of the house
replied : “ She is gone to the tower of holy Troy ;
for she heard that the Trojans were defeated,
and the Achaians victorious.” Then Hektor re¬
turned, by the same way, down the wide streets,
and came to the Skaian Gate.

And his peerless wife, even* Andromache,
daughter of the high-minded Eetion, King of
Kilikia—she whom ht had won by countless gifts
—came running to meet him. And with her
came the handmaid, the nurse, bearing in her
arms Hektor’s tender boy, Astyanax^ beautiful
as/the morning star. And Hektor srriiled, and
looked on his darling boy, while Andromache
stodd beside him, weepihg. And she clasped his
hand, and called him by his name : “ O my dear

^Andromache Kind Ast>ana\ meet Htktoi
Page 94

picpaitd for wai —

XIII HEKTOR AND ANDROMACHE 95

• ft

Lord, thy dauntlesS courage will destroy thee!
Hast thou no pity for thy infant child, aftd for
thy hapless wife, who so^n will be a wyiow ? It
were far better for me to die, if I lose thee; for
nevermord can I know comfort, but only p<yn and
sorrow. For I shall be utterly alone. I have
nevthe’r father nor mother ; for Eetion, my no^al
sire, wg£ slain by great Achilles. And all my
seven brothers went down to Hades on the self¬
same day ! they too were slain by swift-footed
Peleides. But ^ny mother was •smitten in her
father’s halls, by the gentle arrows of the archer
Artemis.* Lo ! n< 5 w, thou art all in ill to me,
father, mother, brother, and dearly loved husband !
Come, then, tate pity on us, and pj^ide on the
tower, and make not thy boy an orphan, and thy
wife a widow ! ”

And-the glorious Hektor of the glancing helm
answered her, and said : “ Dear Wife ! I too think
of # all these things. • But how can I shun* £he
battle, like a coward, to b e the mock of the
Trajans, and of the Trojan denies with flailing
robes ? I, who • have always fought in the van
of battle, and won,glory for my father and my¬
self? I know that the day will corpe, when‘sacred
Ilios shall be levelled with the* ground, and Priam,
and the people of Priam, shall perish. But it is
not so much the fate of Priam, and of my mother,
Hekabe, a*id of my brethren, which fills my soul
with anguish ; but it is thy misery, dear one, in
the day when somq^jte^m^wa^rior shall tear
thee away, weeping, aiLmb tnee pf*Thy freedom.
Thou, ala^ ! wilt abid^mr iSftH.

CH

96 THE BOY’S ILIAD

r

the slave of another woman ; or bear water from
the H^pereian fount, being harshly treated ! And
one will say, as he looked upon thee : £ This was
the w r ife of Hektor, the foremost of the horse
taming Trojans in the war round Ilios.’ But may
the deep earth cover me, ere I hear thee crying in
the day of thy captivity ! ” «

So spake he, and held out his arms to take his
darling boy. But the child shrank, crying, # and
nestled in the bosom of his well-girdled nurse;
for he feared the horse-hair crest, nodding terribly
from the brazen helmet. Then the fond parents
laughed ; and Hektor doffed his helmet, and laid
it on the ground. And he kissed his dear child,
and fondled him, and prayed thus to Zeus :

“O Zeus! and all ye Gods! grant that this,
my son, may like me be foremost to fight among
the Trojans, and rule as a King in Ilios ; so that
men may say: c He is far better than his father ’! ”
Thus speaking, he laid the child in the fragrant
bosom of his dear wife Andromache ; and he pitied
her, and caressed her with his hand, and called her
by her name : “ Dear one ! be not thus utterly cast
down. No man can slay me till my hour of destiny
is conie. But no man, when once he hath been
r born, can escape his fate, be he a brave man or
a coward. Go thou to thy house, to the distaff
and the loom, and make thy maidens ply their
labours. But men shall engage in war, and I the
first of all in Troy.”

3 o spake Hektor of the glancing helmet, and
went his way. And his dear wife went to her
home, looking back at him as she went, shedding

XIII PARIS FOLLOWS HEKTOR 97

» I

bitter tears. And 1 she found her maidens there,
and with them she bewailed her Lord, While yet
he lived; *for they feared that he wpuld never
again return from battle.

And the goodly Alexandros donned hi<j beauti¬
ful armour, and hastened after his brother, whom he
overtook, and he made excuse for his long tarrying.
And IJektor answered him : “ No man can justly
speak lightly of thy deeds, for thou art strong;
but thou art* slack and careless, and I am grieved
when I hear shameful things said of thee by*the
Trojans, who for thee bear so much toil. Butjet
us be gsing.”

H

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

96

the slave of another woman ; or bear water from
the Hypereian fount, being harshly treated ! And
one will say, as he looked upon thee : ‘ This was
the wife of Hektor, the foremost of the horse¬
taming Trojans in the war round Ilios.’ But may
the deep earth cover me, ere I hear thee crying in
the day of thy captivity ! ”

So spake he, and held out his arms to take his
darling boy. But the child shrank, crying, and
nestled in the bosom of his well-girdled nurse ;
for he feared the horse-hair crest, nodding terribly
from the brazen helmet. Then the fond parents
laughed ; and Hektor doffed his helmet, and laid
it on the ground. And he kissed his dear child,
and fondled him, and prayed thus to Zeus :

“ O Zeus ! and all ye Gods ! grant that this,
my son, may like me be foremost to fight among
the Trojans, and rule as a King in Ilios ; so that
men may say: ‘ He is far better than his father ’! ”

Thus speaking, he laid the child in the fragrant
bosom of his dear wife Andromache ; and he pitied
her, and caressed her with his hand, and called her
by her name : “ Dear one ! be not thus utterly cast
down. No man can slay me till my hour of destiny
is come. But no man, when once he hath been
born, can escape his fate, be he a brave man or
a coward. Go thou ‘to thy house, to the distaff
and the loom, and make thy maidens ply their
labours. But men shall engage in war, and I the
first of all in Troy.”

3 o spake Hektor of the glancing helmet, and
went his way. And his dear wife went to her
home, looking back at him as she went, shedding

XXII PARIS FOLLOWS HEKTOR 97

1 I

bitter tears. And* she found her maidens there,
and with them she bewailed her Lord, While yet
he lived; *for they feared that he wpuld never
again return from battle.

And the goodly Alexandros donned hi§ beauti¬
ful armour, and hastened after his brother, whom he
overtook, and he made excuse for his long tarrying.
And I^ektor answered him : “ No man can justly
speak lightly of thy deeds, for thou art strong ;
but thou art* slack and careless, and I am grieved
when I hear shameful things said of thee by* the
Trojans, who for thee bear so much toil. Bullet
us be going/’

H

CHAPTER XIV

So the twain brothers, the glorious Hektor and
the goodly Paris, went forth to the battle. And
Parts slew MenesJthios, of. Arne, soy of Areithoos ;
and Hektor smote noble Eioneus in the neck, and
relaxed his limbs in ^eath* And Glaukos,*captain
of the Lykian allies, jcast his spear at Iphinoos, and
pierced his sjipulder ; and he fell from his, chariQt,
tnd his limbs were loosened. #

But when the fierce-eyed Athene saw the
Trojahs making havoc of the Achaians, she rushed
down from the peaks of Olympos, to sacred Ilios.
And .Apollo, who favoured ihe.Trojans, saw hen
from Pergamos/and hastened 1 to meet her and
they met by the beech tree, and Apollo of "the
Silver Bow addressed her : •“ Why dost thou come,
O Daughter of the Loud-Thiyiderer ? Is it to
bring ^fictory ty the Danaoi ? for thou hast no
^>ity on the Trojans. • But hearken unto me, and
let us stop th^ beetle for this day—hereafter they
shall fight again.”

And the fierce-eyed goddess answered him :
“ I}e it so, Far-Darter ! for this was my purpose
"when I came from high Olympos. *But how
thinkest thou to make the war to cease ? ”

Then King Apollo spake : “ Let us rouse the
98

ch. xiv THE ACHAIANS CHALLENGED 99

valiant spirit of horse-taming Hektor* to challenge
one of the Danaoi to deadly single combat.” And
the fierce-eyed Maid assorted to his wonds.

And the dfar son of royal Priam, Helenos, the
wise Augur, who knew the counsel of the gods,
drew # near to Hektor, and spake* thus to him :
“ Dear Brother, who art peer of Zeus in counsel,
wouldsfc thou listen to me ? Make the Trojans
and.the Achaians sit*down ; and do thou challenge
the bravest of the Achaians to meet thee in single
combat. I heai* the voicfe of th£ deathless gods,
that it is not yet thy tot Jo die.” •

And the great flektor rejoiced at his words; and
going into the throng, he held bick^the companies of
the Trojans with’his spear, holding it iffthe middle,
and made them all $it down. And Agamemnon
made the well-greaved Achaians sit down. .And
Athene*and Apollo, in the form of vultures, sat on
a lofty tree, and watched the hosts. And Hektor
stood between the \v^o armies, and spake : “ Hear
me, ye Trojans and Achaians ! Amongst you are
the*great Chiefs of the Achaians. Now let*one of
these be your champion, # to fight with me, Hektor ;
and I call Zeus*to witness, that if he slay nje, you
shall let him carry off my armout, but give my
body to the Trojans, that they may render to me
the honour of the funeral pyre. f But if the Far-
Darter shall grant me glory, that I may slay him y
then will f strip him of his armour, and hang it in
the Templ^ of Apollo ; but his lifeless body I wfll
give back to the long-haired Achaians, that they
may bury him, and builcf him a barrow by Ithe
Hellespont.”

IOO

CH.

.THE BOY’S ILIAD

Thus spake the glorious Hektor ; but all were
silent; for they were afraid to meet lym. Then,
at last, M&nelaos, groaning deeply, reproached the
Achaians, and said : “ O ye women of A.chaia, no
longer r men ! surely this will be an everlasting
shame to us, if none of the Danaoi dare to fight
with the noble Hektor ! But I myself will arm
me ; for the issues of victory {ire with the gods.”

And he began to put on his dazzling armour.
And now wouldst thou, Menelaos, have yielded up
thy life at the fiands of Hektor; but the great
Rftler, Agamemnon, rose up .and stayed thee:
“Art thou mad, 0 foster-son of Zeus? Draw
back, though with *grief and pain ; and think not
t to fight with Hektor, the man-slaying son of
Priam; for he is a far better man than thou ;
even*godlike Achilles feareth to meet this man
in battle. Go then and sit down ; and we will
ch®ose another champion.” t .

And the fair-haired Menylaos obeyed his
brother’s words, ajid his henchmen gladly took
off his bright armour. ( And tfye wise Nestor
arose, and upbraided all the Achaiap Chiefs : “ Fie
on us L Shame and lamentation have come upon
us all. Surely '‘the aged Peleus, the goodly King
of the Myrmidons, would deeply groan, if he
heard that we *' are all cowering before great
Hektor ; he would pray that his soul njight leave
his body and go down to Hades. \Vould to
Zeus, and to Athene and Apollo, that I were
young, as when the P^lians met the Arcadians
in battle, and Ereuthalion, the squire of King
Lykourgos of Arcadia, wearing the divine armour

XIV DUEL OF HEKTOR AND AIAS ioi

• •

of Areithotis, of ftle iron mace, before the walls
of Pheia, by the waters of Iardanos> challenged
all our host; and they #/ere afraid and trembled.
Then I, the youngest of all, stood up and fought
with hinf, ana Athene gave me great glory 4 for he
was the tallest man, and of the greatest bulk, that I
h^ve'ever slain. Would that I were still so yqung
and strong ! But of you, leaders of the Achaians,
not one has heart enough to meet great Hektor.”

*The wise C>ld man’s reproaches filled the Achaian
Chiefs with shaijie ; and nine of them rose up, ready
to fight; namely, Agamemnon, King of men ; and
the stalwart Dioiliedes ;* and, IdomendUs, and his
brother in arms, Meriones r equal in fight to
murderous Ares*; and Eurypylos*, and Thoas, and
the wily Odysseus, and two others. Then Nestof
spake again : “ Now cast lots for him that shall
be champion.” Then each man marked his lot,
and threw it into Agamemnon’s helmet; and all
men prayed that *ther lot might fall on Aias or
Diomedes or the King of rich Mykenai. Then
Nostor shook the helmet, arfd the lot of Aias
(Ajax) leapt out ; and £he herald placed it in the
hand of mighty Aias, and he was glad ; for he
said: “ I think that I shall vanquish goodly
Hektor.” And they all prayed to the Son of
Kronos, to give victory to'Aias, or to grant unto
each of them equal glory and renown.

Then huge Aias donned his bright armour of
bronze, and came forth like the War-God Aces
when he goeth to battle. The Achaians were glad,
but the Trojans trembled ; and even the brave
Hektor felt his heart beat quicker in his breast.

102

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

But he would,,not shrink from 'the combat, seeing
that he c had himself challenged all the Achaians.
And Aias rame on, bearug a mighty "shield, like
a tower, which Tychios, the cunning leather-
worker, had made for him, of sevenfold hides
of lusty bulls, all overlaid with bronze. And he
stood* near godlike Hektor, and spake : “ Now
shalt thou see what manner of men the Danaoi
have among them, even now' when Achilles, the
lion-hearted, hath left us in his wrath. But do
thou begin the fight! ” 4

# And Hektor answered f hirn : “ Great Aias, son
of Telamoh, sprung from Zeus ! speak' not to
me as if I were a poor weak boy, or a woman !
for I too have knowledge of war and slaughter.

know how to charge into t the midst of the
chariots, or, at close quarters, to join in the wild
dance of Ares.” He said, and hurled his long-
shafted spear, and struck the sevenfold shield of
Aias* it passed through six fold's, but was stopped
by the seventh.

Then Aias, sprung from Zeus, thre\V his pon¬
derous lance at the shield r of mighty Priam’s son.
It passed right through the bright shield, and
through the well-wrought corslet, and rent his
chiton (tunic) ; but hfe swerved aside, and escaped
gloomy death. « Then the two fell upon each
other, like ravening lions, or wild boars; and
Hektor smote the shield of Aias with*his spear,
but the sharp point was turned by ^the stout
buckler. The # n Aias leapt upon him, and drove
his ^pear at Hektor’s ne£k, making a wound from
which thef dark blood flowed.

XIV THE HERALDS INTERVENE 103

But Hektor, undismayed, took up a great stone
from the ground, and with it smote the* boss of
Aias’ shiefd. And Aia* heaved up a far bigger
stone and tlyew it on the buckler of Hektor, and
it fell on him like a huge millstone, and stretched
him^on his back ! But Apollo raised him, and set
him on hi^legs again. • «

Then they would have furiously attacked each
otjier with their Swords, had not the Achaian
herald, TaltHybios, and the Trojan herald, Idaios,
intervened and stopped* the fight, holding their
staves of office between the god-like warriors ; #nd
Idaios ’spake to *them : “ Fight no longer, brave
youths ; for Zeus loveth you both ; and we know
welj whtit gallant warriors ye are. *Night is upon
us, whose comman4s it behoveth us to obey. ,> #

And the Telamonian Aias answered : “ Let
Hektdr say those words ; for it was he who
challenged us.” *

• • And Hektor cff the shining helmet said : 4 * Aias,
since thou hast received strength and wisdom from
the gods,‘and dost excel all the Achaians in the
fight, let .us iiow ceasS from battle for the day,
and hereafter * we • will fight again, until the gods
shall give victory to one of us* Go now, and
rejoice thy friends and kinsmen by the ships, and
I will gladden the hearts of Trojan men and long-
robed dames in the holy city of King Priam. But
now let its exchange costly gifts, that Trojans and
Achaians # may say of us, that we, having met in
this heart-gnawing strife, have parted like good
friends.” He spake, and gave to Aias a silver-
studded sword ; and Aias gave him a purple belt.

104

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

r

So they parted, and went their way ; the one to
the ships of the Achaians, and the other to the
holy city o,f Troy. And the Trojans rfejoiced that
Hektor had escaped unhurt from the unapproach¬
able hands of mighty Aias.

And the Achaians brought Aias, rejoicing
in his victory, to King Agamemnon, who made
sacrifices to the immortal gods, and prepared a
rich banquet for the Chiefs. He paid especial
honour to Aias by giving him large' slices of the
chine of the ox.« And when they had put away
the 4 desire of meat and drink, then the aged Nestor,
wise in couhsel, rose,and made harangue : “Since
cruel Ares hath spilt- the dark blood of many long¬
haired Achawms, let us make a truce, at the dawn ;
and let us kindle a pyre for all the corpses, and
build a barrow on the plain, above the pyre. And
let us^ at the same time, build high towers on the
shore, with a wall, around our ships, to be a
bulwark for them and for ourselves; and let 11s
dig a deep trench, near the wail, to hinder the
proud Trojans from' attacking us.”

Meantime, in the lofty city of Ilios, near
Priam’s gate, there was a great assembly of the
Trojans; and An tenor spake to them and said :
“ Ye Trojans and Dardans! ye know that we
are fighting wrongfully, having broken the oaths
which we made to the Achaians. Then let us
give up Argive Helen, and her wealth., as we
covenanted to do, if Menelaos should conquer
Alekandros.” .

Then up rose Alexandras, the Lord of fair¬
haired Helen, and spake in reply : “ Antenor!

xiv LEADERS AGREE TO A TRUCE ioc

• » J

thy words are not pleasing to me ; ai^d if thou art
serious, then surely the gods have taken away thy
wits. I tod will speak y and I say that I will not
give back my^wife ; but the wealth I brought from
Argos I will willingly restore, and will add to it
of mine own.”

• And Priam, peer of the gods in counsel,* then
spake:* “Now eat your suppers, every man of
you ; and keep watth ; but when the Dawn, the
rosy-fingered* shall bring back the light to gods
and men, let Idaios bear *the words of Alexancfros
to Agamemnon and* Menelaos ; and ask thgm
whether* they are* willing to .refrain fVom battle
until we have buried our dead.”

•T^heyall obeyed, and took their* supper. In
the morning, at dawn, Idaios, the herald, went to
the ships of the Achaians, and spoke thus to the
two sorts of Atreus : “ Priam, and all the noble
Trojans, bade me deliver to you what Alexandros
sayeth : that he Will *give back all the wealth he
brought to Troy* but the wife of Menelaos he
will not give back, although the Trojans bid him
do so. Also, they badft me ask, whether ye are
willing to make a* truce, till we have buried our
dead?”

And they all kept silence. * But at last the loud-
voiced Diomedes spake : Let »us* in no wise

accept the substance of Alexandros, nor even
Helen hexWelf; for surely the doom of destruc¬
tion hangejh over the perjured Trojans.” Then
all the Danaoi .shouted applause ; and King Aga¬
memnon spake to Idaios f “ Of the other part of
thy message, thou hearest what they say ; but I

CH.

IO6 THE BOY’S ILIAD

t *

grudge you *not the burying of your dea'd, for it
seemetfi an evil thing to rob them of their funeral
rites. And let Zeus, tfee Loud-Thilnderer, the
Lord of Hera, be witness to this.”

Then, on either side, the two hosts collected
the bodies of the slain, and sought for wood
wherewith to burn them on the funeral pyres.
And when the glorious sun rose from the waters
of the gently-flowing Okeano*>, the men of the two
armies, in sight of each other, after cleansing their
dead from the tiust and clotted«gore, laid them
upon the waggons ; but f King Priam forbade all
loud cries and wailings. So, in mournful silence,
the Trojans burned their dead, and returned to
holy Troy. «*The Achaians made a barrow ov^r the
pyre on which their dead were burned, and then
built # a wall to protect their ships, and dug a deep
fosse beside it.

r But the mighty Shaker of the Earth, Poseidon
(Neptune), was greatly moved in spirit, when 0 he
beheld these works of the Achaians. He spake to
Father Zeus : “ Seest thou what a eighty wall
those proud Achaians have erected around their
ships, and have offered no holy hfecatomb to the
gods ? The fame thereof will spread far and
wide as the light df Dawn, the rosy-fingered,
reacheth. A*nd*the walls of Troy, which I and
Phoibos Apollo built round the city for King
Laomedon, will be utterly forgotten.” *

And Zeus, the Cloud-Gatherer, rebuked him,
anci said: “O Mighty Earth - Shaker ! a feebler
gofl than thou mighf fear this work of the
Achaians*; but thine is the widespread fame ; and

XIV FORTIFICATION OF THE # SHIPS 107

when the long-haired Danaoi have sailed jiome in
their ships, then do thou rend the great wall
asunder, anU wash it, tbfe way and that, into the
sea, and covef the beach again with sand ! ”

Now, the Achaians, having finished ♦all the
bulwarks of their ships, slaughtered oxen by their
tents and took their supper. And Jason’? son,
Euneos, sent ships from Lemnos, freighted with
a thousand measures of wine; and the long¬
haired Achaians bought the wine for bronze jpid
iron, kine and hides and* captive?. And all night
long the Danaoi feaStecj. ; and, in the city, the
horse-tanning Trojans. But*Zeus, the Lord of
Wise Counsel, foreboded evil to, them, with loud
and .fearful thuhderings. Then, pate with fear,
they poured wine ori the ground, and did not dare
to drink till they had made libation to .great
Kronioh. And now great Zeus remembered his
promise to Thetis, to avenge Achilles on Aga¬
memnon, which hS seSmed to have forgotten.*

CHAPTER XV

And when the saffron-robed Dawn had arisen
from the streams of Okeanos, and “brought light
to gods and men, then the Loud-thundering
Z^us called an assembly of the gods on the
heights of many-ridged Olympos.

<c Hear me ! ” he said, “ ye Gods and God¬
desses ! andr J will reveal my purposes ; and let mo
one dare to thwart me ! That god or goddess
whom I shall see bringing succour to the Trojans
or to the Danaoi shall never return to high
Olympos : I will hurl him or her down to the
deepest gulf beneath the earv!h, Is far below Hades
as Heaven is above the Earth ! Then will ye
know <:hat I am fkr mightier than all the other
gods together. Or come ! make trial of me!
Let fall a golden rope from Heav*en ; and let all
the gods and ^goddesses lay hold of it, and try
to drag me down to Earth ! Yet could ye not
prevail! But I; if I were so minded, could draw
you up, with Earth and Ocean. Then would I
bind the rope about the top of Olympos, and
leave you all, with earth and ocean, suspended in
the air.”

So saying, Zeus motmted his chariot, to which
were yoked his bronze-shod horses with their

ch. xv THE ACHAIANS TERRIFIED 109

, f

flowing manes ; and he clothed himself with gold,
and took his well-wrought golden whip, and
lashed his proud steeds/to start them*; and they
sped on, Jaetv^een heaven and earth. And he fared
straight to Ida with its many springs, the nurse of
wild .beasts, and to Gargaros, where he hath a
srfcred precinct and a fragrant altar. There'Zeus
sat on the mountain top, and viewed the city of
the. Trojans, and the black hollow ships of the
Achaians.

Meantime, the Achafans took their meat in
haste, and armed for the. fight. The Trojans, teo,
though ‘small in number, armed themselves in the
city, eager to fight for their wives and children.
Theji the two hosts met; and ^ear clashed
against targe, and shield pressed on shield, and
loud rose the din of battle ; then one mighl; hear
the groans of the wounded and the dying; and
the ground was drenched with blood. •

• • So, all the mofnyig, the arrows flew, on either
side, and the peo*ple fell. But at mid-day, when
the’ golden sun was high in tTie heavens,‘Father
Zeus took -his golden scales, and weighed the fates
of the mail-clad Achaians and the horse-faming
Trojans, against one another. Afrd the scale of
the Achaians sank to ear.th, and that of the
Trojans rose towards the wide hSav&n. And the
King of Gods and Men thundered terribly from
Mount Ida, and sent his lightning into the midst
of the Achaians ; and they were greatly troubled :
pale terror filled their hearts.

And the valiant Idomeneus, and lordly Aga¬
memnon, and the twain Aiantes no longer stood

I IO

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

their grounds Nestor of Gerenia alone stood firm ,
but he too was in grievous straits ; his horse was
fordone, f:>r Alexandros, Lord of fair Helen,
had smitten it with an arrow in the skull, and
thrown the other steeds into confusion. But
while the godlike old man was trying to cut the
traces with his sword, the chariot of Kektor carne
thundering through the tumult. Then surely
would the old man have been slain ; but the loud-
shouting Diomedes saw his peril, and called aloud
to Odysseus, the man of many devices : “ Thou
Heaven-born son of Laertes ! why fleest thou like
a coward ? Stay till we drive back the furious
foe ! ” But the patient Odysseus gave no heed,
and hastened to the hollow ships.

But Diomedes, though deserted by his fellow
Chiefs, would not leave the aged Nestor in the
lurch ; but bravely stood before his horses, and
sp^ce : “ Old man ! thou art hard beset by many
younger warriors, and thy age is feeble, and thy
steeds are slow. Come up, then, into my chariot,
and see the fleet horses which I took from Aineias,
the wise counsellor in war! And we will go
together straight against the Trojans ; that Hektor
himself may know how I, too, can hurl my spear.”

And the wise Nestor obeyed his word ; and
mounting the chariot of Tydeides, he took the
reins, and lashed the noble steeds, and they drew
near to Hektor. And Tydeides hurled his heavy
spear, missing Hektor, but striking his .charioteer,
Eniopeus, son of Thebaios. Then Hektor, though
sorely grieved by the death of his faithful squire,
was compelled to leave him there, and to look for

XV NESTOR COUNSELS FLIGHT hi

• •

another • bold charioteer ; and he fqund Arche-
ptolemos, the son of Iphitos, and gave liim the
shining reins. I «

But the great Thunderer, the Father of Gods
and Men*saw* the mad onset of Tydeides, and was
angry. And he thundered awfully, and hurled
lightning and a sulphurous flame before the houses
of JDioijiedes; and they were greatly terrified.
And the aged Ne^ftor, in his terror, dropped
the 'shining feins from his hands, and spake
to Diomedes: V Come mlow, Tydeides, quiclcly
turn thy horses, with the uncloven hooves, to
flight ; dost thou riot see* that # the Son 6f Kronos
is giving glory to Hektor ? Hereafter, perhaps,
he y /ill give honour to us; but no oae, however
brave, can fight against Zeus ; for he is the
mightiest, by far.”

And-Tydeides of the loud war-cry answered
him : “ All that thou sayest, old man, is just a^d
true ; but sore grief •taketh hold of my heart.
For Hektor one «day may say: ‘Tydeides fled
befor£ me to the ships.’ Thus fnay he boast, and
then, may the * wide earth open and swallow
me! ” • •

Nestor comforted him and said : “ Be not

afraid of that, thou son of who Tydeus ; though
Hektor should call thee a cowand, «for we will
not listen to him ; nor the Trojan dames, whose
husbands thpu hast made to bite the dust.” He
spake, and turned the noble steeds to flight;
and the Trojans rushed after them, hurling
their deadly darts. And*great Hektor of the
glittering helm shouted after him, and mocked

112

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

him : “ Once, O Diomedes, did the Danaoi set
thee in the highest place, with plenty of meat and
wine ; bu* now they will despise thee,’for thou art
but a woman, after all! Away, slight girl! never
shalt thou climb our towers or carry off our
wives!

*The proud soul of Tydeides was filled with
doubt and anguish, as he heard these words;
thrice was he minded to turn his chariot and meet
his exulting foe ; and thrice the great Zeus, Lord
of the Storm-Ooud, thundered fiom Mount Ida,
ard gave a sign of victory to the Trojans. And
Hektor sfiouted aloud to his warriors : Trojans
and Dardans an$l Lykians, who love to fight hand
to hand ! show yourselves to be men ! for I see
that the Son of Kronos will # now grant me great
glory, and hurl destruction on the Danaoi. Their
walls are low and weak : our coursers will easily
jump the fosse which they have digged around
thefn. When once I am in the midst of the
hollow ships, then will I burn them, and make
havoc* of the men. f>

Then he called to his divine horses ; “Xanthos,
and tfyou, Aithon, and goodly Lampos ! see that ye
pay me back for your keep ; and for all the honey-
sweet corn which Andromache, the daughter of
high-minded Betion, hath set before you ; and for
the wine, which she mingled for you, even sooner
than for me, her lusty spouse! Nov/ put forth
your utmost speed, that I may seize ^the famous
golden shield of Nestor, and strip from Diomedes’
shoulders the rich corslet which Hephaistos
wrought! With these spoils, I might hope, this

XV HERA REBELS AGAINST ZEUS 113

very night, to sencl the Achaians wi their black
ships home.”

But the* goddess Hejja heard his boasting, and
moved uneasily upon her throne, and made
Olympos shake. And she spake thus to Pcseidon,
the great Ruler of the Sea : “ How now, thou
Shaker of •the Earth ? hast thou no pity cfn« the
Danaoi, who make rich offerings to thee, in
Helike” (on the notth coast of the Peloponnesus)
“ and at ArgJi ” (in Achaia) ? “ We gods who^are

friends of the Danaoi, if we had the will, could
drive back the Trojans, and leave great Zeus alene
on Ida^ height.” But the «great Earth-Shaker,
Poseidon, answered her : “ O # Hera ! rash in

spce # ch, *what words are these? Never may I
see us in strife witl\ Zeus ! for he is stronger far #
than all of us together ! ” Thus commune^ the
twain rtiighty gods with one another.

In the meantime, great Hektor, peer of Ajes,
fcQwhom Zeus ga\fe glory, had driven the AchTaians
beyond their waif; and the s^ace between it and
the ships was filled with the horses and the Warriors
of the Achaian’host. Then Hera, anxious for her
beloved Greeks, starred the heart of Agamemnon
to try and revive the courage of the Achaians.,
Carrying a purple cloak in* his strong hand, he
went to Odysseus’ strong black ship, # which was in
the midst of the fleet; and standing there, he
cried aloud to the trembling Achaians, and was
heard in a^i the other ships along the strand.

“ Out upon you, ye Argives! base cowards,
brave in semblance only! Where are now*the
boasts ye uttered in Lemnos, when ye were full of

1

ll 4

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

the flesh of oxen, and drank dark wine from
golden goblets ? Then ye boasted, that each of
you would? face twenty, or a hundred, Trojans ;
and now ye flee before one man, qven Hektor,
who threatens to burn our ships with fire! ”
Then he prayed aloud to Father Zeus: “ O Zeus!
didst thou ever before visit a mighty king with
such blindness, and take away his glory ? - Yet I
never passed an altar of thine, on my way hither,
without sacrificing a victim thereon. * Pity us, and
at feast allow us to escape ! ” <■

cAnd Zeus, the Thunderer, heard this piteous
appeal, and* had pity on him ; and sent a'n eagle,
holding a young, fawn in his claws ; and the bird
of Zeus let fell the fawn, near the beautiful altar of
Zeus the Lord of Oracles ; and when the Achaians
saw tjiat the eagle had come from Zeus, they took
courage, and longed once more for the joy of
battle.

And no one could say that he went into the
fight before Tydeides, who was the first to drive
his fleet horses across the trench. He first slew a
Trojan warrior, even Agelaos, the son of Phrad-
mon, plunging his strong spear into his back, as
he turned in flight. Next to mighty Diomedes
came the sons of Atreus, Menelaos and Aga¬
memnon ; then the valiant twain Aiantes ; then
Idomeneus and his faithful brother ^ in arms,
Meriones, peer of the murderous Ares > and then
Eurypylos, son of Euaimon. 1

After these came the famous Cretan archer
Teukros, son of Telamon and Hesione. He
stood with his stretched bow behind the broad

XV HEKTOR WOUNDS TEUKROS 115

•

shield of the great # Aias ; and when, he had dis¬
charged his bow, he would hide beneath the* shield,
like a child In the lap of^its mother ; sj Teukros
slew manv of the foremost Trojans with his deadly
arrows, when Agamemnon saw him thus making
havoc of the foe, he rejoiced, and went to him,
and said : Dear Teukros, shoot ever thus* so
that thou mayest save the Danaoi, and bring glory
to thy father Telamofi! If iEgis-bearing Zeus and
Athene grant *me to destroy the rich city of Troy,
then will I give, thee a meed of honour, a tripod
or a chariot, or a woman to be thy wife.” Ajid
TeukroS answered him : “ I need no urging, noble
Agamemnon, being myself most eager to slay.
Eigfyt barbed arrows have I sent offhand all are
buried in the fleshy of young Trojan warriors;
only that mad dog, Hektor, I cannot hit/* So
saying, • he discharged another arrow straight at
Hektor ; him indeed he missed, but struck another
s®;i of Priam, the flobte Gorgythion, whose mother
was Kastianeira, \A beauty like a goddess ; and his
heacf drooped like a poppy-ffower in a garden,
heavy with.the Showers < 3 f spring. Then Teukros
sent another arfow#at Hektor ; but Apollo turned
it away, and it struck Archeptolemos, Hektor’s
charioteer, who fell and yielded up his life.
Hektor, though sorely grieved at heart, was forced
to leave the body of Archeptolemos there ; and
called to • Kebriones, his own brother, to take
the reins. # Then Hektor leapt down from his
splendid car, and, with a fearful shout, hurled a
great stone at Teukros, just as he was laying an
arrow on the bow-string ; and the rugged stone

CH.

116 THE BOY’S ILIAD

r '

struck Teukros on the collar-bone, and he fell on

r 7

his knfees, and the bow dropped from his hand.
But Aias, seeing his brother Teukros 1 fall, ran to
him and covered him with his mighty shield, till
his companions bore away the wounded 1 archer to
the ships.

And now great Zeus, mindful of his oath .to
Thetis, gave fresh courage to the Trojans ; and
they drove the terrified Achaians back to the deep
fosse. And great Hektor strode in their midst,
glorying in his strength ; and like a fleet hound,
which chaseth a lion or a wild boar, so Hektor
pressed hard on the Achaians, slaying the hindmost
as they fled. But when they had retreated behind
the palisade an<t ditch, they halted by their s\yift
‘-ships, and called to one another, and prayed
earnestly to Zeus.

Then the white-armed goddess, Hera, was
moved with compassion for her darling Achaians,
anSrspake winged words to .Athene : “ Alas, alas !
Child of iEgis - bearing Zeus ! > are we twain to
allow the Danaoi to perish at the hands of one
man, this furious madman Hektor, who hath
wrought us so many evils ? ”

And the fierce-eyed goddess Athene answered
‘ her : “ Would that this fellow might yield up his
life to the Afgives in ‘ this, his native land ! But
my own father, even Zeus, is full of wrath, and
obstinate ; and he it is who continually thwarts
my purposes. And yet, how often did I save his
soft, even Herakles (Hercules), sore w&aried with
the- labours set him by 'Eurysthenes ! Had I but
known all this, when he was sent to Hades to

XV HERA AND ATHENE ARM 117

•

bring away fell Kerberos, the three-Keaded* hound
of Hell, he; would never have escaped from the
black waters of the Sty£ But now S?eus hateth
me, and fiulfilleth the wishes of Thetis, who kissed
his knees and touched his beard, and persuaded
him t© honour her son, Achilles. Yet the day will
come when he will once more call me his own
dear bright-eyed Mfcid. Now I will go to the
house of Zeu$, and don my armour ; and do thou
prepare the chariot, and we will §ee if Hektor®of
the shining helm will.rejoice at the appearance of
us twain.in the field of battle.” . #

She spake, and the white-armed Hera assented
thereto. .And the great daughter® of Kronos, even
Hera, with her own hands harnessed the steeds
with the golden frorrtlets ; and Athene, the great
daughter of Loud-thundering Zeus, threw off her
many-coloured woven vesture, the work of her
own hands, and dgnngd the tunic of great Zjptis,
anti put on bright armour for the fight. Then
she mounted the fiery chariot, and seized the.heavy
spear with which she vai^quisheth the heroes who
excite her Wratlj. Then Hera started the divine
horses with her whip ; and they passed through
the Gates of Heaven ; these.open of themselves,
and are guarded by the Hour^, the beautiful
goddesses, to whom the care of tleaven and
Olympos is committed.

But when Father Zeus saw them issuing from
the gates ®he was wroth, and called Iris, his
golden-winged Messenger.. “Go, swift Iris, and
send them back! It were not good for them, if
they and I were to engage in fight. But if they

CH.

118 THE BOy’S ILIAD

obey not, then will I lame their horses, and hurl
them from their chariot, and shatter it; and not
even ten years shall heahthe wounds which I will
tear open with my thunderbolts. The grey-eyed
one shS.ll learn what it is to contend with her own
father ! But as for Hera, I am not surprised at
her\ nor so angry ; for she always loveth to oppose
me, whatever I decree.” '

So spake the Thunderer; and swift Iris sped from
Id^ to Olympos with his message. “ Whither are
ye going, and 'why doth wrath thus fill your
hearts ? The Son of Kronos straitly chargeth you
to give no succour 1 " to the Achaians. And if ye
obey not, he will dash your chariot in pieces, and
inflict sore* wounds upon you, which ten -years
shall hardly heal.”

Thus spake swift Iris, and departed ; and
Hera said to Athene : “Alas ! no longer can we
contend with Zeus, for the sake of mortals. Let
them live or die, as Fate ordaineth ; and let hbn
decide between thp Danaoi and the Trojans, as
seemeth him good.” Then the goddesses turned
back to Olympos ; and the Hours u-nyoked the
horses with flowing manes, and tied them to their
ambrosial mangers. And the great goddesses
went up and sat on. their golden thrones, sore
grieved at Heart. Zeus returned from Ida in his
flaming chariot, and came to the meeting of the
gods. And Poseidon, the Earth-Shaker, ifnyoked the
diyine horses, and spread a cover over ,the chariot.
At\d far-seeing Zeus satjupon his golden throne, and
great Olympos shook. But Hera and Athene kept
silence, till Zeus observed them, and spake :

XV

ZEUS THREATENS HERA 119

• 1

“ Are ye not Veary of slaying the Trojans,
whom ye hate so bitterly ? But my hands are so
invincible,*that not all the gods combined could
turn me from my purpose. And if # now I had
hurled rfiy thunderbolt against you twain, je would
never have returned to high Olympos.”

# And Athene held her peace, though furious
with her father Zeus. But Hera could not
restrain her anger.. “ O Son of Kronos, what a
wdrd hast <:hou spoken ! We know how great
is thy mighty but we have pity on the Daifaoi,
who are suffering a grievous fate.”

And the great CloiJd-Gatherer answered fier :
“ My ox - eyed Queen ! to - morrow, since thou
wilt have it so, thou shalt see? making still
greater havoc of the Achaians ; for I will not
keep back impetubus Hektor from the battle.
No, not until the son of Peleus, the swift-^footed
Achilles, shall arise again, when the Achaians are
already in grievous# flight amidst the prox^ of
their ships, arouad T:he body of Patroklos. I care
not for thy anger, not even if thou shoyldst go
to the lowest* boundary between earth and sea,
where dwell Japefos and Kronos, in deepest Tar-
taros ; they have no joy in the light of Hyperion,
the Sun God, or in the refreshing breezes. I carfc
not whither thou goest, of wha^ tfyou doest ; for
there is not a more shameless thing than thou
art.” •

And Hera answered not a word.

Meantime, the glorious sun sank beneath* the
ocean, and night drew*a black veil across the
earth, to the grief of the victorious Trojans, and

120

CH.

THE BOY'S ILIAD

6 *

to the relief of the hard-pressed Argives. And
great Hfektor, dear to Zeus, summoned an assembly
in an open space, near to the flowing river, away
from the ships and the unburied dead. He held
a mighty spear, full eleven cubits long', in his
hand, and spoke thus to the Trojans, the Dardans,
and allies : .

“ I had hoped to make still greater havoc of
the Achaians; but murky Night has come too
soon for us, but as a safeguard for 4 the Argives
and'their ships. .But nov r let us feed our horses
and prepare our supper ; and let oxen and sheep
be brought c from the city, and sweet wme and
corn from your houses. And keep many fires
burning, all night long, in our camp and in the
city ; lest the Achaians steal away, in the dark¬
ness, over the broad-backed sea. I pray to Zeus
and aH the gods, to drive away these dogs, whom
the gloomy Fates have sent for our destruction.
For 1 +>his night let us keep caieful watch, ancj*
to-morrow we will renew the fight. Then shall I
learn whether the strong Tydeides will drive me
back from the ships, or I shall slay him and bear
away his gory spoils.”

And 4 all the Trojans shouted applause. They
tmyoked their sweating steeds, and feasted on the
oxen and sheqp Fom the city, and the corn and
the honey-sweet wine from their houses, and sacri¬
ficed a pure hecatomb to the deathless gc$s. The
rich savour and odour thereof rose to Heaven ; but
^ome of the immortals would not receive it ; for
they«hated sacred Ilios, *and Priam, and all his
people.

XV NIGHT SEPARATES THE FOES 12 1

• •

A thousand fires blazed on the plain; .and in
the glow sat the watchful guards. And the horses
munched th£ white barley; and they all *vaited for
the coming of the golden-throned, rosy-fingered
Dawn. .

CHAPTER XVI

The Trojans kept watch ail night, full of higl
hopes for the morrow. But dire panic and palsiec
fear filled the hearts of the Achaians. And the
son of Atreus, King Agamemnon, was stricken tc
the heart Vith sorrow ; he sent through the ranks
and bade the heralds summon each Chief by namt
to an assembly, but not to cry aloud.

And when they had met together, Atreidee
rose up, weeping like a fountain which pours down
a dark stream of water from an overhanging rock :
and spake to his sorrowing friends : “ Ye Leaders
and Chiefs! hard-hearted afid deceitful is the
Son of Kronos ; for once he promised that I
should not return home till I had laid waste the
well-built Ilios ; but ndw he biddeth me return
to Argos, defeated and dishonoured, with the
loss of many of my people. This is the pleasure
of the mighty Zeus'. Let us then obey his will,
and depart <o ‘our dear native land—for we shall
never take the well-built city of the Trojans.”

Thus spake he, weeping ; and all kept silence,
being dumb with grief. But Diomedes, good at
sfiouting, rose and said: “ Agamemnon ! it is

just that I should answer thy foolish words, here
in this assembly ; wherefore, be not wroth with

122

ch. xvi AGAMEMNON REBUKED 123

me ! Thou didst declare that I wai not warlike,
but a coward ; how truly, all the Argives know.
The great* Zeus hath, ^indeed, given# to thee a
sceptre of rule above all others ; but he hath not
given thee courage, in which lieth the • highest
pow^r. Dost thou really think that the sons of
the Achafans are cowards ? If thy he£rfr so
inclineth thee, depart; go thy way, for thou
ha^t many ships f?om royal Mykenai ; but all
the other Argives will remain here, until we sack
the holy Ilios. • Or if they too Vill flee, then we
twain, I and Sthenelds, ^yill remain ; for we came
by ord£r of the gods.” •

And all the Achaians shoutec^ applause. Then
Nestor, wisest of men, arose and spCke to them :
“ Tydeides, thou aj*t mighty in council and in
war ; and no one will gainsay thy words. Though
so yoilng a man, thou givest sound advice. But
I, who am far older, will declare my mind ; ^nd
not even the Lofd # Agamemnon will despisfi my
counsel. But nbw let us prepare the evening
meal, and place sentinels along the fosse,*outside
the wall. . Lea'd the wa^, great Agamemnon ! and
make ready a Feast for the Councillors—th%t is thy
place and thy duty, for thy tents are full of;
wine, which the ships bring* from distant Thrace.
And, in the Assembly, thou shSlt 'listen to him
who giveth the wisest counsel. This night will
destroy or save us.”

Thus «jpake Nestor, and they willingly obeyed.
And the sentinels, in their armour, went forth ;
even Thrasymedes, Nestor’s son, and the warlike
Askalapios, and Ialmenos, and Meriones, and

124

CH.

r THE BOY’S ILIAD

Aphareus, and Deipyros, and Lykomedes, son of
Kreion. These seven chiefs led each five score
young men, bearing long spears, and took their
posts, between the fosse and the wall.

And great Atreides led the Councillors to his
tent, and feasted them abundantly ; and when
they had put away the desire of meat and drink,
Nestor, weaver of wise counsel, again made
harangue, saying :

“ Most noble Atreides, King of men ! thee
it behoveth to Hear wise counsel from another,
and to carry it out; for. where thou leadest, all
shall follow. But I think no man will have a
better plan than f hat which I have long revolved
in my mind,'since that fatal day when thou didst
dishonour a man whom even the deathless gods
admire, and didst take away his prize, the fair¬
cheeked Briseis. But, even now, let us think
hov T we may appease his wrath, by rich gifts and
kindly words.” r

And Agamemnpn, King of men, replied :
“ Rightly and justly hast thou rebuked me for my
folly ! Fool that I was, to offend one whom Zeus
loveth ! for a friend of Zeus is worth a multitude
of other men. It is for his sake, I know, that the
Achaians are perishing. But I will now pay an
ample recompense, by costly gifts beyond all
telling ; and these I will name to you all. I will
give him seven tripods, untouched by* fire, and
twelve bright caldrons ; twelve swift noble horses,
the winners of rich prjzes ; and seven Lesbian
women, skilled in handiwork, and beautiful, whom
I chose from the spoils which Achilles himself

XVI GIFTS TO ACHILLES 12c

• •

captured in the lovely isle of Lesbos* And I will
return to him the fair-cheeked daughter of*Briseus,
pure and untouched, as # when I first received her.
These things I offer him at once; and if, by the
favour of tfie gods, we take the great »city of
Priam, then we will load his ship with bronze and
gold ; and* let him choose twenty Trojan women,
the most beautiful of all except the lovely Helen
of Argos, the dauglfter of Zeus. And if we reach
theVealthy ctty of Argos, I will honour him as my
son, even as my boy, Orestes. “Three daughters
of mine dwell in my fair halls ; even Chrysothemis,
Laodike, and Iphianassa. L^t him choose which¬
ever he will, without gift of wooing ; and as a
dcwer, i will give him seven populous cities,
Kardamyle, and Enope, grassy Hire, sacred Pherai, 1
Antheia, rich in grass, fair Aipeia, and Pedasos,
famed *for vines ; these are near the sea, on the
confines of sandy Pylos ; and there dwell men ych
itl cattle, who will lioifour him as a god. Lefhim
then lay aside his anger, and be ruled by me, seeing
that* I am of higher rank, and older in years.”

Then Nest<*>r, the brave knight of Gerenia,
arose, well pleased, and spake: “By no # means
worthless, O noble son of Atreufc, are the gifts
which thou wilt offer to Achilles. Come then, and
let us, with all speed, send cfiosen*men to Achilles’
tent, whom I will now appoint. Let Phoinix,
dear to Z^us, be the chief; and let mighty Aias,
and cunning Odysseus, follow him ; and ror heralds
I name Odios and Eurybates. And let us all
keep silence, that we may pray to Zeus to Rave
mercy upon us.”

126

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

r «

c

Then the heralds poured water on their' hands,
and the young men filled the goblets brimming
high with 'wine, and offered a libation and dis¬
tributed a portion to each man, in the cups ; and
when they had drunk to their hearts’ content,
they came forth from Agamemnon’s tent * v and
the f Gerenian Nestor gave a charge to each, but
chiefly to Odysseus, how they might best ^prevail
on the noble son of Peleus.

,JSo they moved along the shore of the loud-
resounding sea, praying to the great Earth-Shaker,
that they might persuade ‘ the mind of noble
Aiakides (Achilles).* And they soon came to
the camp of the Myrmidons, and found their great
pleader, playifig on the curiously wrought phoryyinx
with a silver band, which Jie had taken from
Eetiqn’s city ; and he sang to it of the glorious
deeds of ancient heroes. And near him sat
Patroklos, in silence. And Aias and Odysseus
came forward, and stood in the presence of the
noble Peleides. And the swift-footed Achilles
rose qdickly, with the lyre in his hand, and greeted
them kindly, and said : “ I bid you wejcome ; for
ye are friends, the dearest to me <of all the Achaians;
: dear are ye to^me even in my wrath.” And he
made them sit on cha\rs, with purple carpets, and
cried aloud to Patroklos : “ Bring larger goblets
and stronger wine, and give each man a cup ; for
they are the dearest of men to me.” «
r And Patroklos obeyed ; and on the f slaughter-
bench he laid the back of a sheep, and a fat goat,
ancf the chine of a hog/rich in fat; and he sliced
the meat, and roasted it on spits, and served it on

XVI ENVOYS IN ACHILLES’ TENT 127

platters ; and Patroklos laid bread on»the table, in
beautiful baskets. And great Achilles served his
guests with Aieat; and afterwards sat down opposite
to goodly # Odysseus. And when the desire of meat
and drink had passed from them, Aias made # a sign
to Phpinix ; and the goodly Odysseus observed it;
and, rising 'with a cup in his hand, he pledged
Achilles, and spake :

“Neither here, ndr in the tent of Agamemnon,
do we lack abundant provision for glad feasts.
But now, our hearts are Set on dther things, and
not on dainty food ; f6r ^ore destruction lies before
us. Wd are in dire anxiety, and in doubt whether
we can even save our black ships \yithout thy help,
O tl;ou beloved of Zeus! Close to Sur wall, the
high-hearted Trojan§ have pitched their camp;
and the Son of Kronos favours them by sig^s of
good orfien ; and Hektor, trusting in Zeus, rageth
furiously, and feareth neither god nor man. He.is
praying for the sf>e£#y coming of the golcfen-
throned Dawn, the rosy - fingered ; and hath
threatened to burn our ships with devouring
flames, and to m’ake havo£ of the Achaians. Arise,
then, O mighty* son of Peleus, and save us # from
the war-cry of the Trojans ! Thoti wouldst thy¬
self be sorry, if Hektor sfy 5 uld make good his
boast, and we should perish here,® far away from
our dear native land. Remember the command of
thy father, «Peleus, when he sent thee forth from
Phthia : ‘ fyly son, Hera and Athene will give
thee strength ; but do thou curb thy proud souf;
for gentleness is better than violence ; and avoid
contentious strife, that the Argives may honour

128

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

thee the more/ Hast thou forgotten the old
man’s charge ? Come, now, and at last put away
thine ang?r, and save usd Agamemhon offereth
thee the richest gifts, as recompense ^ and will give
thee his own daughter in marriage ; and will restore
Briseis, unharmed and pure ; and make thee lord
of seven rich and populous cities, on the borders of
sandy Pylos, where men will honour thee as a god.
But even if thou hatest Agamemnon too much,
yet have pity on the Achaians, and win from them
exceeding glory ! Surely thou mayest slay this
Hektor ; for he will come dear to thee, because he
thinketh that no one is equal to himself in might.”

Then the sv^ift-footed Achilles answered him
and said : O Zeus-sprung son of Laertes, wily
Odysseus, I will speak openly to thee ; for I hate
that^man, like Hell, who hath one thought in his
heart and uttereth another ! Not me shall the son
of Atreus persuade, since we get no thanks for
our endless toil in the battlefield ; equal honour
is given to the coward and to the brave man, and
death cometh alike to the sluggard and the zealous
worker. Nor have I an/ profit from ever risking
my life in battle. As the mother hen bringeth to
her brood each* mouthful that she findeth, suffering
want herself, so I have watched through many a
sleepless night,* fighting daily. I have destroyed
twelve towns from my ships, and eleven from the
land, and have found much treasure* and many
women in them all ; but I gave all to Atreides,
who was abiding idle in his tents. And he would
give some little to the other Princes, and let them
keep their prizes; but he kept almost all for

XVI ACHILLES DISDAINS THE GIFTS 129

* •

himself. And frcfrn me, of all the^ Achaians, he
hath taken away my darling maiden, and 0 keepeth
her. Why is it that we make war on the Trojans?
Is it not for the sakeVf fair Helen* the wife of
Menelads ? * Are, then, the sons of Atreus {he only
men who love their wives ? Surely, every sound-
qiinded man will love and cherish his own ; ^and I,
too, lcjved Briseis with all my heart, though she
was but my captive* and my slave.

# “Let Agamemnon, then, who hath robbed me
and deceived pie — let .him not think to prevail
over me by gifts. Let him take counsel with thee
and the other Chiefs, Kow best to save the ships
from fire. Agamemnon hath done many things
without my help ; he hath built*a vftll, and dug a
deep ditch; but he will not keep out the man*
slaying Hektor. When / was with the Achaians,
Hektor would hardly come to the Skaian Gate and
the beech tree ; and once, when he met me alone,
£e narrowly escaped.^ But now, I have no wish to
fight with noble ♦Hfektor. For to-morrow I will
launch my black ships, and thou shalt seejne sail¬
ing over the Hellespont; and if it be the good
pleasure of the Earth-Shaker, Poseidon, in three
days I shall reach fertile Phthia, \%here are Yny rich
possessions. And I shall bear more with me—red
gold, and bronze, and grej? iron, an,d fair women,
and all that I have gained by lot.. Only my most
cherishec^ prize, the fair-cheeked Briseis, shall I
leave behind me, whom Agamemnon, in his in-,
solence, h*ath taken from me ! 9

“ I charge you to tell* him, truly, what I*say ;
that the Achaians may be angry with him, if he

K

130

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

dares to despoil another man among them, as he
hath dorfe me. Verily, he could not look me in
the face, though he has the forehead of a dog. I
will take no counsel with him, for he hath cheated
me mo$t wickedly ; never again shall he' beguile
and cozen me. Let him go; for Zeus hath
deprived him of his wits. I despise his^ gifts, and
value him less than a hair. If he would giye me
twenty times all his possessions, and all the revenues
of rich Orchomenos, or Egyptian Thebes of the
hundred gates, and other .gifts as numerous as the
grains of sand on the sea-shore, never should he
prevail upon me, until I have avenged myself for
all his injuries. I would not wed the daughter of
Atreides, eveft wfere she as beautiful as golden
Aphrodite, and skilled in handiwork as bright-eyed
Athene. For if, by the favour of the gods, I
reach my home in safety, Peleus my father will
give me a wife, one of the daughters of the Princes
of Hellas and Phthia ; of them J, will take to wife;
whomsoever I please. She shall .be my helpmeet,
and may, one day, enjoy with me the possessions
of the aged Peleus. Lifer is of mGre worth than
all the wealth of well-built Troy* than all the
treasured of Pboibos Apollo’s shrine in rocky
Pytho ! For cattle, or flocks of sheep, may be
gained by a foray ; and chestnut horses may be
bought; but nought can bring back a man’s life,
when once the vital breath hath passed his lips!

, “ As for me y my goddess-mother, silver-footed

Thetis, hath placed before me twain fa^es. If I
remain here, fighting against the Trojans, then I
may never return to my dear native land, but I

XVI HIS WORDS DISTRESS PHOINIX 131

shall gaift immortal glory. But if I now go home,
I lose my high renown, but my life will long con¬
tinue. But •'you I advise to sail homeward ! For
ye will never take steep Ilios, seeing that the hand
of Zeus is over the city, and the people are hrave.
Go ye^ then, and bear my answer to the Achaians;
and let them devise some better counsel, whardby
to save .their ships and folk. But let Phoinix
abide with me, and, If he be willing, return with
me to-morrow^ to our dear native land.”

Thus spake Achilles ; *and for # awhile, they all
kept silence, being greatly astonished by his stegn
refusal. *At last, the old knight Phoinii answered
him, bursting into tears: “If, indeed, thy mind
be sej upon returning home, how can h*be left here
alone ? The aged Peleus sent me to thee from
Phthia, when thou wert an inexperienced youth,
unskilled in war and in debate. He sent me to
thee, dear son, to teach thee all these things, aijd
tOv guide thy words £hd actions. When I fled
from the wrath of fny father, Amyntor, and passed
through the wide plain of Hellas, and came to
fertile Phthia, the mother of sheep, King Peleus
received me as *a son. He also gave me much
wealth, and made me ruler of the* Dolopes. It
was I that reared thee to thy* present glory ; and
thou didst honour and love me as thy chosen com¬
panion. As the blessed gods gave me no children,
I made thee; my son, O godlike Achilles, that thou
mightest save me from dire destruction. There¬
fore, curb now thy proud heart; for even tKe
gods will yield, when men‘approach them rever¬
ently, with incense and prayer, with drink-offering

132

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

and burnt-offering for sin. The prayers of the
penitent are the daughters of Holy Zeus, and they
follow thp steps of fleet-footed Sin,’ to heal the
mischief. See then, O godlike Achilles, that thou
reveronce the daughters of Zeus, who" bend the
hearts of the pious. If King Atreides still nourished
his wrath against thee, and offered thee no splendid
gifts, I would not ask thee to forgive hiift and save
the Argives. But now, he offereth much treasure,
and sendeth to thee us , the best of' the Achaians,
who are dearest of all to thyself Therefore do
not thou dishonour us, though at first thou hadst
good reason to b<? wroth. Come, now ! accept
the gifts! and the Achaians will honour thee as a
god! ” * '

But Achilles answered him and said : “ Phoinix,
my second father, beloved of Zeus! I need no
such honour as thou offerest. Zeus will honour
me, so long as I still draw breath and my
limbs are strong. Trouble nle not by tears and
lamentations ; neither ask me to do the will of the
King 1 Atreides! ‘And do not thou cherish him ,
my enemy, lest thou, too, be hated by me. Stay
thou here, and be as a king with' me ; and these
others shall bear my answer to the Achaians. To¬
morrow I will consider whether to remain or to
depart/' * •

Then the godlike Achilles kept silence, but
nodded to his dear friend Patroklos to prepare a
couch for Phoinix, that the others might depart.
Aias saw the nod, and understood it. Te turned
to the wily Odysseus, and said to him : “ Heaven-
born Odysseus, now let us depart, and tell the bad

XVI ENVOYS RETURN IN SORROW 133

news to* the Danaoi, who are anxiously ajvaiting
our return ; since we can in no way accomplish
our purpose* Achilles h^th roused his proud soul
to fury—hard-hearted man ! Little careth he for
the love of fiis comrades, who worshipped him
above # all other men ! A man will take a recom¬
pense for thfe death of a brother or a son, and for
a great price will let the slayer remain sifely in his
own^country. But tRy wrath, Achilles ! is implac¬
able on account of one damsel, though we offijr
thee seven of the fairest •maidens* and boundless
other gifts! Meet u3, tjien, in a kindly spirit;
for, lo ! tve are thy guests, sent* by all tlie Danaoi,
who would fain be nearest to thy Ijeart.”

Afid Achilles answered : “ O Heav€n-born son
of Telamon, thou grpat prince of the people, all
that thou sayest cometh almost from mine pwn
heart. But wrath seizeth me, -when I remember
how insolently he treated me before the Argives,
asvif I were some*vil£ vagabond. But bear fny
message to AtreidSs, and tell him that I will take
no part in bloody war until the noble Hektcfr, the
son of wise. Priam, com£ to my tents, even the
tents of my peo*ple,« the Myrmidons, slaughtering
the Argives, and blackening the ships in the fire.
And I think that even Hektbr will pause before
my tents.” • •

Thus he spake ; and having poured out a
libation, the envoys went along the shore, and
great Odysseus led the way.

Patroklos, meantime, had bidden the hand¬
maidens to prepare a warm couch for Phoinix ;
and great Achilles slept in the recess on one side

134 r THE BO,Y’S ILIAD ch. xvi

/

of his .well-built hut; and on the other"side, his
friend Patroklos.

And when the envoys Aias and Odysseus, came
to the camp of Atreides, where the, Acfiaians were
assembled, Agamemnon, King of men, eagerly
questioned them; and Odysseus told hirn the
answer that Achilles had sent. Then were the
Achaians long dumb with sorrow, tMl great
Diomedes said to the King Agamemnon“ I
W.ould that thou hadst never sent offers of gifts to
the haughty son of P&eus ; foi now he will be
more arrogant than ever But let him go or stay,
fight or refrain from battle, as his heart shall bid
him. In the .morning, do thou, Agamemnon,
draw up the forces of thy people, horsemen ’and
foot, and urge them to the battle ; and do thou,
thyself, fight in the front rank ! ”

CHAPTER XVII

Now, all the oth£r Chiefs of the Achaians were
holden all night by gentle sleep ; but Agamemnon
the great Shepherd of* the People, slept not*bu
lay wakeful, pondering many things in his mind
and h!s spirit trembled within him/ He lookec
over the wide pla ; n of Troy, o and saw the fim
blazing before Ilios, and heard the %ound of flute
and pipe, and thq din of many men. And &
turned his eyes again to the ships and the o host o
the Achaians. Then, in despair, he tore out grea
locks of his hair, and offered them to Zeus, am
groaned in his nflbleTheart.

And Dawn, ’the rosy-fingered, left her coucl
beside Tithonos — on whom she had eonferrec
eternal life, but not Eternal youth—and brough
back sweet light <o gods and men.

And Zeus sent forth the fell Gfcddess of t)iscorc
to the camp of the Achaiahs, with the dread aegis
the sign of bloody war, in her ha?ids»; and she too!
her stand on the ship of Odysseus, which lay v
the centre of the long array of vessels. And sh
cried aloiid with her shrill and horrible voice, am
steeled the heart of each of the Achaians wit
mighty strength ; so that war seemed sweeter t
them than a return to their own dear country.

i35

CH.

136 THE BOY’S ILIAD .

* K - f*

f*

And the mighty son of Atreus shouted his
commands to the host to arm themselves ; and he
too put on t {jis bright armour of shining bronze.
On his broad chest he put a flashing breastplate,
the gift, of Cinyras, Apollo’s son, priest of the
Paphian Aphrodite; in it were wrought ten
courses, of black kyanos (Lapis lazuli) f twelve of
gold, and twenty of tin ; and dark blue* black
serpents' writhed up to the neck. His mighty
gold-studded sword, in a silver sc&bbard, was
suspended by chains of gold. Around his wide
shield, which covered the whole man, were ten
circles of bronze, with bosses of white tin and one
of kyanos ; and on the shield was the awful
Gorgon’s head, glaring frightfully, with Fear and
Terror by her side. A silver baldric, attached to
the shield, had upon it, coiled up, a three-headed
snake, of kyanos. . Agamemnon’s helmet was
surmounted by four crests, with nodding plumes
of horse-hair. In his hand was his bronze-headed
spear. Hera and Athene sent a thunder-clap
to honour the coming forth of the rich King of
Mykenai.

The Chiefs gave orders to their charioteers to
keep near the fosse, along which they ranged
themselves a little in front of the chariots and
horses. Loud - thundering Zeus, the Son of
Kronos, aroused eon fusion, and sent down rain
like drops of blood, for a sign that many strong
<men were to go down to Hades. Meanwhile, the
Trojans, on the high ground of the plain, gathered
around great Hektor; among them were noble
Polydamas and godlike Aineias, and the three sons

Agamemnon m his aimoui and Goddess of Discoid — Page

XVII AGAMEMNON’S GREAT DEEDS 137

« •

of Antenor, namely, £olybos, Agenor,.and the fair
young warrior Akamas, divinely beautiful. ' And,
in the front fank, the godlike Hektor carried his
round shield ; and as a baneful star, which now
shineth between the clouds, and now again is
hidden by them, so he was now foremost, and then
turned to give his commands to those in the rear.
His bright bronze armour shone as the> lightning
of iEgis-bearing Zeus*.

And as twb bands of reapers, from opposite
sides, mow down the wheat or barley in a rich
man’s field, and draw‘nearer and nearer to eaqji
other ; so the Trojans and .A^haians advanced ;
then they rushed upon each other like ravening
wolves, without a thought of recreant flight. The
sight was well - pleasing to the baleful Eris
(Discord), who alone was present to behold it,
for all the other gods sat peacefully in their
palaces, or in the dells of Olympos ; and they all
blamed the cloud-gk*t Son of Kronos, because »ne
gave great glory to*th*e Trojans.

But about the mid-day hour, when the wood¬
man, weary of felling grc*at trees, taketh his sweet
food, the valiant"Daaaoi broke through the enemy’s
battalions. Agamemnon rushed through first, and
slew Bienor and his charioteer^ Oileus ; the latter,
quitting his chariot, had bravely faced Atreides,
but the King’s spear pierced his 'forehead, and
scattered hi^ brains upon the ground. Agamemnon
stripped these two of their corslets, and left their
bodies there. He then hastened on to kill Is< 5 s
and Antiphos, two sons of’ Priam; Isos held the
reins, and Antiphos fought by his side, Aga-

CH.

138 THE BOY’S ILIAD

r

memnon, w<ell knowing who they were—-for great
Achilles had once brought them as prisoners from
Ida to the ships—struck Isos in tfrfe breast, and
dashed Antiphos from his chariot, smiting him
close to the ear. None of the Trojans were able
to save them, but themselves fled before the
Argives. r

Many others did the mighty Agameihnon slay.
And as the woods fall when a fire seizeth upon
them, so did the fleeing Trojans fall ; and many
chariots rattled away without their drivers ; for
tj^ese lay on the earth, dearer to the vultures than
to their vfives.

But Zeus was wroth, when he saw the havoc
which lordly Agamemnon was making of the
Trojans; and he drew away Hektor from the
storm of darts and the dust of the fight. Yet the
son*of Atreus pursued, ever slaying the hindmost
of the flying Trojans ; but, when he came to the
steep wall of the city, the Great Father of G9ds
and Men descended from Heaven, and sat
upon* the crests o c f Ida, with a thunderbolt in his
hand. And he called to golden-winged Iris, and
sent her with a message to Hektor : “ Tell him
thafso long as he seeth Atreides raging in the front
rank, he must hold 'himself aloof from the fight;
but when Agamemnon is wounded, with spear or
arrow, and mounteth his chariot, then shall Hektor
slay the Argives, till he cometh to tlje well-built
ships, and the sun goeth down.”

And Iris sped swiftly, and delivered her
message ; and Hekfor leapt down from his
chariot, shaking his two spears, and roused his men

XVII IPHIDAMAS AND AGAMEMNON 139

to fight; and they turned and faced *the Achaians;
but Agamemnon rushed on, eager to slay yet
more. * #

Tell jne, ye heavenfy Muses, who inhabit the
palaces of ( 3 lympos ! who first dared to meet the
man-slaying Agamemnon ? It was Iphidamas, son
of great Antenor, who was reared in rich Thrace,
the met*her of sheep, by his grandfather Kisseus,
the father of the fait Theano. Kisseus, indeed, tried
to keep him r in his halls, and gave him his beautiful
daughter in marriage ; but wherf Iphidamas heard
of the arrival of the Acfcaians, he went to Troy by
land. # He it was who met the great Atreides face
to face. And Atreides hurled his spear, but
missed; and Iphidamas thrust his £pear into the
girdle of Agamemnon, but the point of the speaf
was turned. Then Agamemnon tore the^ spear
from the hand of Iphidamas* and smote him on
the neck with his sword. And he fell, and ^ept
the sleep of dea*tli,* % far from his people anti his
newly wedded ^ife, for whom he had given a
hundred oxen, and promised a thousand goats and
sheep. # * •

And the elUesb son of Antenor, Koon, ^vho saw
his dear brother fall, covered his ^yes for sorrow^
He stood on one side, and* thrust his spear into
the arm of Atreides, beneath the «elbow. Aga¬
memnon shuddered, but still rushed on, and
wounded JKo 5 n, and cut off his head. But when
the wound of Agamemnon grew dry, and the 1
blood ceased to flow, keen anguish came upon Kim.
He mounted his chariot, and ordered his charioteer
to drive to the hollow ships, being sore stricken at

140

CH.

THE BOY'S ILIAD

r

heart. And«he cried with a loud voice'to the
Danaoi: “ My friends, great Chiefs of the Argives !
do ye save ( the ships from the fire ! c For the
Great Counsellor, Zeus, suffereth me no longer to
fight the Trojans.”

And when Hektor saw that Agamemnon had
left the field, he cried aloud to his followers : “ Ye
Trojans, Lykians, and Dardans ! the best 0 man of
the enemy hath departed ; and Zeus hath granted
me great glory. Therefore, my 0 friends, re¬
member your former valour, and drive the
single-hooved horses against 'the Argives, that ye
may win the greater glory ! ” Thus spake he, and
roused their spirit to fight with might and main.
As when a hunter setteth on his white - teethed
hounds against a boar or lion, so did mighty Hektor
set on the high-spirited Trojans against the Danaoi.
He himself rushed into the fight, like the rbaring
wind, when it stirreth up the purple sea ; and first
he slew Assaios, then Autonobs, Opites, Opheltios;
and Dolops, son of Klytios, and Agelaos, Oros,
and Hi-pponoos, the stalwart in battle ; all these
Chiefs he slew ; then he smote the common herd,
and scattered them, as the west v r ind scattereth the

OKJ r

spray or ocean.

And now would all the Achaians have fled to
the hollow ships, and their ruin would have begun,
had not Odysseus cried to the valiant son of
Tydeus : “O great Diomedes! how is it that we
have forgotten our former valour? Come, my
friend, and stand by me ; shameful were it if
Hekfor of the glancing r helmet were to burn our
ships!” Then Tydeides answered him: “I will

XVII DIOMEDES STRIKETH HEKTOR 141

* #

indeed‘stand my ground, but small will be our
profit; for Zeus of the Storm-Cloud loveth to give
victory to the Trojans, and not to us.”.

Having spoken thus, he struck Thymbraios in
the breast with his heavy spear, and hurled him
from his chariot ; and Odysseus slew his brave
companion*, Molion ; then they rushed on^ fierce
as two Wild boars. Having stayed rfie flight of
the Achaians, they J slew, in one chariot, the two
sons of Mer6ps, the skilful soothsayer of Perkote,
who had tried „to keep-them from the war, but
they would not obey 'him. g

Zeus, looking down frgm Ida,' held level
the scales of the opposing hosts, and made them
mofe nearly equal to each other. Hektor, when
he observed Diomedes and Odysseus making havoc?
of his men, rushed forward, shouting loudly, and
the Trojans followed him. Diomedes, shuddering
at the sight, said to Odysseus : “ Lo! here is
eighty Hektor, rolHhg like Ruin upon us ; 5 but
let us stand oui* ground, and ward off his on¬
slaught.” Thus saying, he hurled his long-shafted
spear at HektoVs head it struck the top of his
crest, but the point was turned aside by the three¬
fold helmet, a gift of Phoibos Apollo. Great
Hektor sprang back, and *for the moment was*
stunned; he sank, leaning on* ome hand, and
darkness came over his eyes.

But Tydeides, looking at the flight of his spear
beyond, saw it fix itself in the ground, while
Hektor, recovering his breath, arose and got ifito
his chariot, and escaped black fate. Then mighty
Tydeides followed him, mocking him and shout-

x 4 2

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

ing : “ Thou <dog ! once more hast thou fled from
death by the help of Phoibos Apollo, the bright
Archer, to whom thou prayest! ”

But Alexandros (Paris)" Lord of the fair Helen,
leaning against a pillar, aimed an arrow r at great
Diomedes, while he was stripping off the armour
of Agastrophos ; and the arrow went through the
right foot of Tydeides, and pinned it to the ground.
And Paris, sweetly laughing; mocked him : “ I
have hit thee—the dart flew not in va'in! I would
that it had pierced thy belly, and taken thy life
away.” And brave Diomedes, undismayed, made
answer : ° r

“ Thou wretched archer ! proud of thy bow—
reviler and slanderer—thou ogler of girls ! never
wouldst thou dare to meet a man, face to face, in
full armour ! Thou hast grazed my foot ; but I
care no more than if a woman, or a feeble boy, had
struck me ; for vain is the arrow of a worthless
coward.” '' -

Then the far-famed warrior Odysseus came to
Diomedes, and stood before him, while he pulled
the sharp arrow from his foot. Ahd he mounted
his chariot, and ordered the charioteer to take him
back * to the ships ; for he was sick at heart. So
* Odysseus was left alone ; not one of the Achaians
dared to stay with him ; and he communed thus
with his dear soul : “ Alas for me ! what will
become of me ? It is an evil thing to^flee ; and
still worse if I am caught here all alone, for Zeus
hath put to flight all the other Argives. 4 But well I
know that only cowards*fear to fight, but the hero
stands his ground, whether to kill or to be killed.”

XVII ODYSSEUS IS LEFT ALONE 143

Meanwhile, the Trojans gathered <*ound him,
like young men and dogs, hunting, round a boar,
as he whettefh his white tusks, and they^ await his
terrible onslaught. And first, Odysseus wounded
the noble* Deiopites in the shoulder; ne>*t, he
slew Thoon, and Ennomos, and Chersidamas ; and
wounded Charops, son of Hippasos, brother of
noble Sok*os. And godlike Sokos camfe near, to
help his brother, and ^)ake : “ O famous Odysseus,
unwearied in guile and toil! to-day shalt thou
either boast of having killed two *worthy sons ol 7
Hippasos, or fall beneath my spear! ” •

So saying, he hurled his greajt spear, and struck
the round shield of Odysseus ; and the keen spear
passe^ through the shield and corslet, £nd tore the
flesh upon his ribs ; but Athene stopped it from
piercing his bowels, and he knew that his end was
not yet xome. Then he cried aloud to Sokos :
“Wretched man that thou art! black fate is come
upon thee ; and thou \tfilt give glory to me, when
thou fallest beneath? my spear, and thy soul goeth
down to Hades/’

And Sokos furned t6 flight ; but Odysseus
drove his spear*right through his back, aijd^ he
fell with a mighty crash. •

Then he drew the spear of Sokos from his side,
and the blood spouted from the Wound, and it
grieved his spirit. The Trojans, when they saw
him bleeding, thronged close about him. But he
retreated, and thrice he called aloud to his com¬
panions. And Menelaos heard him, and spake to
Aias : “ O Aias, Zeus-nurtured son of Telamon !
I hear the shout of the stout-hearted Odysseus. I

*44

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

fear that he*is cut off by the Trojans, being alone,
and is suffering some evil, brave as he is. Let us
hasten into the throng of battle ; for % it is better to
save him.”

Sc saying, he led the way, add they found
Odysseus close beset by the Trojans, like a wounded
stag' beset by bloodthirsty jackals. * He' fketh
till his bbood is spent, and then the j&ckals tear
him, in a dense mountain forest ; but when the
gjod bringeth thither a fierce lion, t?he jackals flee,
or the lion refideth them. In .like manner were
the Trojans gathered round Odysseus, but he held
them at bay with bis strong spear ; and when Aias
appeared 021 the ground, bearing his mighty shield
like a tovfer, the Trojans fled in terror, ^in all
directions ; and warlike Menelaos took Odysseus
by the hand, and the charioteer drove up the
horses.

Of all this, great Hektor knew nothing at all ;
for he was fighting on the' left, near the river
Skamandros, where the slaughter was greatest.
And a ceaseless cry arose around wise Nestor and
the warlike Idomeneus'.’ And "Hektor wrought
terrible havoc with his spear, afid dealt dire de¬
struction upofa the ranks of the young warriors.
But the noble Achafians would not have given way,
had not Alexandras' Lord of the beautiful Helen,
with a three-barbed arrow from his bow, checked
Machaon, the son of Asklepios, in Kis onset, by
wounding him in the shoulder.

Then Idomeneus cried to the wise Nestor : “ O
Nestor, pride of the Achaians! take Machaon
in thy chariot, and drive him to the ships;

XVII PARIS WOUNDETH MACHAON 145

* >

for a physician or burgeon is better than other
men to cut out arrows, and to apply the healing
unguents.” * And the good Gerenian knight
mounted his chariot, with Machaon, Imd lashed
the willirfjg horses, which sped to the hollow ships,
where they longed to be.

, Afid Kebriones, Hektor’s brave charioteej, saw
the Trpyans fleeing on the other side* and said :
u O Hektor ! here indeed we face the Danaoi ; but
on t % he other side of the field I see that Telamonian
Aias is driving off the Trojans in confusion, both
men and horses. I know him by the broad shield
over his. shoulders. Let* us then drive «our chariot
thither into the thickest of the fight, where the
battle cry is loud and ceaseless.” * *

fiut now Zeus, from his lofty throne, struck
terror into the heart of Aias ; and he turned his
sevenfold shield of bull-hide rpund upon hist^ack,
and looked fearfully upon the throng before him.
I^[e turned himself; abemt like a wild beast, slowly
giving ground ; a*id* as when men and dogs chase
the 'tawny lion from the fold,* nor suffer him to
seize the fattest of thetherd, so Aias unwillingly
retreated, sore afrajd for the ships of the Achaians.
And now he would remember his impetuous Valour,
and turn upon the pursuing Trojans ; and then,
again, he would retire before them 4 bjat he stopped
them from reaching the fleet ships, while their
spears stu£k in his broad shield and in the earth,
longing to*surfeit themselves with his blood.

When Eurypylos, the illustrious son of EuaimOn,
saw Aias thus oppressed *by the spears and* the
cloud of arrows, he went to his aid. He cast his

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH. XVII

I46

bright spear at the leader, Apisaon, son of Phausios,
and slew him. But the archer Alexandros saw Eury-
pylos stripping this man of his armoCir, and shot
an arrow, which hit him in the right thigh. Then
Eurypylos went back to his comrades*, and shouted
loudly to them : “O ye leaders of the Argives !
staled,here, and defend the son of Telamon, for
he is sore pressed with darts!” Thus spake the
wounded Eurypylos ; and they closed around him,
and held up their sloping shields above their heads ;
anU Aias came to meet them ; then the opposing
raiiks fought like raging fires.

CHAPTER XVIII

Meantime, the chariot had borne wise Nestor
and the wouiided Machaon out of the battle. And
Achilles, standing by the stern of his great slnp,
for he was watching the^ rout of the Argives, ^w
them coming, and called to. him Patroklos, his
chosen friend. Patroklos came out from the tent,
and*asked Achilles : “For what reasbn dost thou
call me ? ” Achilles answered him : “ O son of
Menoitios, my dearest friend ! now I think that
the Achaians will gather round my knees* with
prayers; for intolerable stress hath come upon
them. But go thousand ask Nestor whom he is
bringing wounded from the battle ; his back is
like that of Machaon, the wise physician ; but I
could not see' his eyes, for the horses sped so
quickly past.” • •

Then Patroklos ran past the ships, and^came
to Nestor’s tent. Here the charioteer, Eurymedon,
had unyoked the horses, and the «ie« were drying
the sweat from their doublets, standing before the
breeze on jhe shore. The twain entered the tent and
sat down ; and the fair Hekamede, whom Achilles
had captured in Tenedos, and who had been gn?en
as a prize to Nestor, set* a table, and placed on
it a bronze vessel, with onions as a relish to the

147

148

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

wine, and sweet honey, and sacred barley. And
she brought a four-handed cup of embossed gold,
with golde^ figures of t\yo doves feeding, which,
when it was full, most men would hardly lift, but
old Nestor raised it easily ; in this she mixed
Pramnian wine with grated goat’s milk cheese, and
white .barley. r *

When they had quenched their thirst, they dis¬
coursed pleasantly with one 'another. Patroklos
stood at the entrance of the tentand Nestor,
when he saw him, took him by the hand, and
bade him sit down. But Patroklos refused, say¬
ing : u No time have I, noble old man, for sitting
down ; for one who is much to be feared hath sent
me. I come to ask, who is the wounded man
whom thou bringest home ; but I see myself
that it is Machaon. Now, I will return and tell
Achilles, for well th«u knowest what a terrible man
he is ; for often he blameth even the innocent.”
Then the Gerenian knight spake again : “ Why
should Achilles pretend to be sorry for the wounded
Achaians? Wounded are strong Diomedes, and
Odysseus, and Agamemnon, and Eurypylos ; and
now I have brought this other, Machaon, wounded
by an arrow. But Achilles, valiant as he is, hath
neither care nor pity for the Danaoi. Is he waiting
till our ships are burnt, and we all lie dead, one
upon another ? Would that / were still in the full
strength of my youth, as in the war between the
Pylians and the Eleians ! ”

Then old Nestor related some of his own deeds
of prowess many years before, adding, “Such a
man was /. But, O my friend, do thou now

i 4 9

xviii CHARGE TO PATROKLOS

i M

remember the command of thy father Menoitios,
when he sent thee from Phthia. The goodly
Odysseus and I were theij in the house, ajid the aged
Peleus \^as sacrificing to Zeus. We stood at
the door, anS heard all; but Achilles spr&ig up,
brought us in, and seated us on chairs. Peleus
give counsel to his son ; and Menoitios, thy father,
said to* thee, Patroklos, at thy parting: c Achilles
is qf loftier lineage* than thou ; thou art older,
but remember that he is far mightier and higher
in rank.’ Dost thou think of'that? But now
I bid thee speak to .Achilles, reasonably and
gently, # and he will perhaps listen to *thy words.
If he is held back by some oracle of a god, or
if bis goddess-mother has broughf him some
message of Zeus, le,t him, at any rate, send thee
forth, with the rest of the Myrmidons, and lend
thee his beautiful armour to* wear in the battle,
so that the Trojans may perhaps take thee for
Achilles! ”

And PatrokloS, being young and of a noble

spirit, felt his heart stirred by tins proposal, hoping

thereby to .earn for hinfself much glory. He ran

back past the ships to speak to Achilles \ % but on

his way met Eurypylos, limping # from his cruel

wound. Patroklos pitied him, and said : “ Ah,

ye wretched Chiefs of the Dan^oi f doomed are

ye to fegd the swift dogs of Tfoy ! Tell me,

Eurypylo.% will the Achaians be able to drive

back noble Hektor ? or will they fall beneath his
»» •

spear r

Eurypylos answered : “ The Danaoi can make
no defence, but will perish in the midst of their

150 THE BOy’S ILIAD ch. xvm

black ships. f All the bravest are lying wounded
in the ships and tents ; and the strength of the
Trojans i§ 4 continually taxing. But do thou
help me now, and take me to my ship ; and
cut the arrow from my thigh, and lave it with
warm water. Thou hast learnt the art of medicine
from ‘Achilles, who was taught bv the righteous
Centaur, Cheiron.’*

And Patroklos, though eager to carry the mes¬
sage of Gerenian Nestor to Achilles, would not
desert the wounded Eurypylos ; but, putting one
arm round his waist, supported him to the tent.
Then he cut out the arrow, and washed the wound,
and laid upon it,the root of a bitter herb, which
soothed his pain ; and the wound began to dry,
and the blood no longer flowed.

CHAPTER XIX

Meantime, the Trojans and Achaians had fought
conTusedly about the rampart and the fosse, which
would not long protect the ships^as they had btfen
built in spite or the knmortal gods, and no costly
hecatombs had been offered upon account of them.
But so long as Hektor livea, and while Achilles
refrained from battle, and Troy* wa9> not yet cap¬
tured and sacked, so long were the wall and fossei
made by the Danaoi'to stand firm on the sea-shore.

Their destruction was to cqpe in the after-*time ;
but now, the Argives were closely pent behind the
/osse and wall, in fear of Hektor ; for he was
rushing around, Jil^e a furious raging wind. He
urg'ed his followers to cross the dyke ; but their
horses were afraid, and stood at its edge, loudly
neighing ; For sharp stakes were fixed in its sides and
bottom, and it was hard to leap oyer. Polydamas
therefore advised Hektor to dead the men across on*
foot ; this counsel pleased Hekfor, who, in full
armour, leapt from his chariot,, and the other
Trojan Chiefs did likewise. Hektor divided his
force into five companies; he and Polydamas,
with Kebfiones, commanded the first, which was
the largest and best; the second was led. by
Paris, Alkathoos, and Agenor; Helenos and

CH.

152 THE BOY’S ILIAD

* «

Deiphobos, s<?ns of Priam, with Asios led the third,
and Aineias, son of Anchises, with Archelochos
and Akamas, two sons of Antenor, corrtmanded the
fourth. Sarpedon, son of Zeus, with Glaukos and
Asteropaios, led the Lykian allies. The thiefs all
went on foot, except Asios, who refused to leave his
horsey and chariot, and drave by the left flank tc> a
gate, which* the Achaians had left open to* receive
any of their comrades flying ffom the battle.

Here Asios and his followers, Ism6nos, Orestes,
Atlamas, son of Axios, * ThoOn, 0 and Oinomaos,
bufst through, thinking to reach the ships. But
they found'their way barred by two of the bravest
men, even strong Polypoites, son of Peirithoos,
and Leontetis, peer of baleful Ares. WJien
'these brave warriors saw the Trojans attacking
the wall, and the Danaoi crying out and fleeing,
they Sallied forth, and fought in front of the gates
most fiercely ; while the Danaoi, on the wall, and
on the strong towers, were‘'hurling down stones,
Which fell in multitude like snow-flakes, upon, the
heads of the assailing Trojans. And Asios, son of
Hyrtakos, groaned aloud, 1 and uttered harsh com¬
plaints against Zeus. “ O Father Zfeus,*’ he cried :
“ thou surely lowest a lie ; for I thought that the
Achaian heroes could dn no way stand against us ;
but now they .are like the swarms of nimble wasps
or busy bees, which abide at the entrance to their
hollow nests, and drive away those who come
near them, defending their offspring.” The two
Darnaian Chiefs, indeed, fought stoutly; Poly-
poite's drave his spear' through the helmet of
Damasos, piercing his head and scattering his brain

XIX ZEUS SENDS AN # EVIL PORTENT 153

on the ground ; ancl Leonteus cut down several
others, even Hippomachus, Antiphates, Menon,
and Orestes.*

1 •

But the bravest of the young warriors who
followed *He£tor and Polydamas, and wen? most
eager # to force the wall and burn the ships, were
stepped by* a portent from Zeus, and stood# htsi-
tating at* the edge of the fosse. Fof a mighty
Eagle appeared on their left hand, high up in the
air, folding fn his claws a monstrous blood -r^d
Snake, still struggling. And the* Snake writhed,
and bit the Eagle in the tyreast, near the neck ; and
the bird* in sore pain, dropped the Snake among
the Trojans, and flew away down # the wind. And
the frightened Trojans shuddered, when they saw
the glossy, shimmering scales of the Snake in the
midst of them ; for they knew that it was an # evil
omen from jEgis-bearing Zeus?

Then the prudent Polydamas stood by Hektor,
a*d said : “ O Hcfkjor ! thou art ever rebuking^
me ip the Assembly, though I counsel wisely ; and
though none may oppose thee in council or in war,
yet I will speak *my mine?. Let us not go forward
and fight at the*ships ; for when we were eager to
cross the moat, this eagle appeared to us on the
left hand, bearing a monstrous snake, and the
snake hurt him in the breast; arftl the eagle did
not carry i^home to his nest. And so we, though
we break fhrough the wall, shall return in dis¬
order and confusion, leaving many of the Trojans
behind us.”

f •

And Hektor of the bright helmet was angry,
and looked askance at him, and said : “ If thou

*54

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

r

speakest seriously, then the deathless gods them¬
selves have disturbed thy wits. Dost thou forget
the prom^es of Loud-thundering Zeus, when he
nodded with his mighty head ? For me, I care
not for birds, long of wing, whether they fly to the
right, to the rosy-fingered Dawn and the Sun, or
tO' the left, to misty darkness. Lfet us trUst
Almighty 'Zeus, the Father of Gods and Men !
The Best of Omens is to Fight for our Country!
Thou needst have no fears ; for if all of us perish,
thou wilt remain, for thy heart is unwarlike ; but
mark my words, if thou avoide 3 t the battle, or
persuadest ’ others *o refrain from it, thy blood
shall flow around my spear.”

So saying, Hektor led them on, and they fol¬
lowed with a mighty roar. iVnd Loud-thundering
Zeus sent a blast from Ida, which blew the dust against
the ships, and damped the courage of the Achaians,
and gave glory to Hektor and the Trojans. These,
confiding in the favour of^etis and in their own
'strength, now attacked the wall and the supports
of the towers. They dragged down the pinnacles
and the sheltering parapets, and prized up the
buttresses ; yet the Achaians did 'not retreat, but
tried to close dp the breaches with their shields of
bull-hide, and hurled down darts and stones on the
Trojans belcrw.'

But the twb Aiantes like towers m<rved incess¬
antly along the wall, and spake to the Achaians,
inspiring courage. The Chiefs they addressed with
soft words, but others with bitter taunts: “ O
Friends ! ” they said, “ we cannot be all equal in
war; but now there is work for all, and for men

XIX SARPEDON AND GLAUKOS icc

• •

of every* degree. Let no man retreatno the ships,
or listen to him who suggesteth flight; but go
forward, and encourage others; anjjl perhaps
Olympia^ Zeus will grant us to drive back the foe
to their city.’* •

Tfrus did these two rouse the spirit of the
AfchaianSj afid urge them to fight. And as in the
winter, • when Zeus the Counsellor *lulleth the
winds and sendeth forth his snow without ceasing,
until he hath* covered hill and plain, the grassy
meadows and the rich ploughed laftds, and only the
rolling waves of the sea. keep off the snow—«60
flew th^ stones and darts from the Trojans to
the Achaians, and from the ^chaians to the
Trojans.

But never would, even glorious Hektor have
broken through the wall or gates, had noj the
great Counsellor, Zeus, sent forth his noble son,
Sarpedon, against the Argives, like a lion against
otcen with crumpled Jiorns. The princely Lykian
hero, carried a roTind shield of well-hammered
bronze, on which many bulls-hides were fastened by
golden studs. ‘Shaking*two spears, he sped on
his way like the Mon of the mountains coming
to attack the sheep and the horfiestead of the
shepherds. So did godlike ’Sarpedon attack the
wall, and break through the battlements ; and he
spake to Qlaukos, son of Hippolbchos : “ Why
are the highest honours bestowed on us twain—the
most honourable seats in the Council, and the
richest meals and the fullest cups of wine^ in
Lvkia ? and why do all men look on us as gods ?
Why have we large domains on the river

i $6 THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

Xanthos, with orchards and cornfields ?' Ought
we not, therefore, to fight in the front ranks of
the Lyki^ns, that they may say, 4 Our Kings are
no inglorious men ! they eat, indeed, fat sheep,
and drink the choicest of honey-sweet wines, but
they are also men of might, and encounter fierce
banlfc, standing in the front rank ? * O my Friend !
if, after this battle, we could be unfading and
immortal, I would not be foremost in the fight,
nor urge thee on ! But now we dre compassed
about by a thousand forms of death, which no
mortal can avoid. Come, then, let us go forward,
and prove whether we shall give glory to our foes,
or they to us ! ”,

And Glaukos obeyed his words; and ^hese
twain advanced, leading the .strong Lykian host.
But Menestheus, son of Peteos, trembled when he
saw these warriors coming against his tower, carry¬
ing destruction in their course. He looked along
the line of the Achaian wall,.for some leader who
might ward off the peril from 1 him; and he saw
the two Aiantes, greedy of war, and Teukros lately
come from his tent. But Menestheus could not
make them hear his voice, so great was the din of
clashing shields and spears and swords, and the
noise of closing gates, which were being shut to
keep out the Trojans. So he sent the herald
ThoOtes, to call Aias, son of Telamon, or still
better, the twain Aiantes, to stave off the impend¬
ing ruin. “ But if the twain,” he said, c< are too
much oppressed by war and toil, at least let one of
them come, the son of Telamon, and with him
Teukros, the skilful archer.” And ThoOtes ran

XIX PROWESS OF SARPEDON & AIAS ic 7

to the Aiantes, and said : <c Menesthetts, the son of
Peteos, biddeth you go to him, if only for a little
while, to help him ; for the leaders of thf Lykians,
fierce of qld in battle, are pressing him very sore.”
Then Aias, tfie son of Telamon, with Tetikros,
leaving the son of Oileus, the Lokrian Aias, at his
po^t with Lykomedes, went to the high iower
where Menestheus and those with him ^ere oppos¬
ing fhe Lykians, who were already climbing up
the battlemen?s of the wall. They rushed againgt
each other, on each sid£, like a* whirlwind, and
fought over the wall. ’ Aias killed Epikles witl>a
huge jagged stone, which he hurled from above,
crushing the bones of his head ; Teukros, with
an grrow from his bow, wounded Glaukos in
the shoulder, who withdrew himself quietly, that
the enemy might not boast over him ; Sarpedon,
though much grieved, forgot mot the joy of battle.

Sarpedon hurled his spear at Alkmaon, son of
Thestor, who fell* ljeadlong, his bright armour^
rattling upon him * and then he seized the battle¬
ment, and with his strong hands tore it down,
opening a \yay Vor the * Lykians to follow him.
But Aias and Teukros met him. Teukros shot
an arrow at him, which hit the Shining baldric
of his shield ; but Zeus warded off the fate of
death from his dear son ; and wRen* Aias’ spear
struck his shield, it did not pass through, yet
Sarpedon w^s roughly shaken by it and fell back
a little, hoping still to win much glory. Then,
running to and fro among his Lykians, he shouted
to them: “O Lykians, why is your impetuous
valour thus relaxed ? It is hard for me, though

CH.

158 THE BOY’S ILIAD

H

I be brave, to break through the wall alone and
lay open a way to the ships. Press on, then,
close behipd me ; for better is the work of many
men than of one man only.” And they, fearing
his reproaches, pressed more vigorously behind
their King.

> O;* the other side, the Argives' had once
more strengthened the battlement, and a * terrible
struggle began ; for the gallant Lykians could
not burst through the wall, nor could the Danaoi
drive them back. Neither side would give way ;
ard. of such as turned aside, many were wounded
as they left their backs exposed. And as a faithful
workwoman mal^eth even her wool and the weight,
in her scales, and balanceth them, when she would
earn a poor wage to feed her little children, so
even^were the forces in this battle, until Zeus gave
still greater glory to Hektor, the son of Priam.
He now, with a mighty voice, cried aloud : “ Up,
ye horse-taming Trojans ! Break through the wal 1 !
*Rush on, and cast divinely kindled fire into the
ships ! ” They heard him, and rushed straightway
against the wall, and climbed up to the battlements
and to the towers.

Then noble Hektor took up a huge stone,
thick below but pointed above—a stone such as
no two of the "best men, as they now are, could
easily raise up with a lever, into a waggon
— and wielded it alone. And he bare it to
the high double gate; and, planting himself
firmly with his legs apart, he struct the gate
in the middle. And the stone fell inside, by
reason of its weight, and the locks and hinges

XIX HEKTOR BURSTETH THE GATE 159

gave way, and the mighty portal was burst asunder !
The noble Hektor leapt in, with a face like
sudden darkness, but clothed in his shining mail,
and holding two spears in*his hands. And no one
but a god* coifld have stopped him, when once he
was within the walls, for his eyes blazed with
fire.

CHAPTER XX

The Loud-thundering Zeus, having brought
Hektor and the Trojans close to the ships, left
them to endless toil and strife. He himself
turned his flaming eyes from Troy to the
lands of the horse-dealing Thrakians, ’and the
Mysians, famous in close fight, and the Hippo-
molgoi, whd drink mares’ milk, and the AJfioi,
justest of the human race. § He no longer re¬
garded holy Troy ; for he thought that none
of tfre gods would dare to help the Trojans or
the Danaoi.

But the wide - ruling "^Poseidon, the Earth-
*Shaker, kept no careless watch, as he sat on
the highest crest" of woody Samothrake, from
which he could look o/er the plain and city
of Troy, and the ships of the Achaians He
pitied the Achaians, whom the Trojans were
slaying, and he was' wroth with Zeus for giving
glory to Hektur. So he went down the rocky
hill, and it shook, and the woodland trembled
beneath his footsteps. In four long^ strides he
reached his bright golden palace beneath the lake
in Aigai, in Boiotia, where he ordered his servants
to yoke his swift bronze-shod horses with golden
manes. And he himself donned his raiment of

160

ch. xx POSEIDON ROUSES ACHAIANS 161

# •

gold, and grasped hi£ well-made golde«n whip, and
mounted his chariot, and drave over the waves.
The sea-monsters played around him on all sides,
for they knew their Lord 4 , and the wavSs divided
gladly, anfl th£ axle of the chariot was not wetted
as the divine horses ran swiftly and bare him on
towards the*ships of the Achaians.

Now ^between Tenedos and craggy Imbros,
there is a vast cave* in the depths of the sea.
There he stayed his chariot, and unyoked the
horses, and gave them ambrosial food, and tethered
their feet with golden fetters * which cannot |je
broken ; *and then he went to tj^e Achaian camp.

The Trojans, meantime, were following Hektor,
raging like flame or storm, crying # aloifd, and hop¬
ing to burn the ships and slay the bravest of the
Achaians. But Poseidon, Girdler of the Earth,
came forth from the deep salf sea, in form # and
voice like Kalchas, the famous Seer ; and he spake
tathe twain Aiantea : ' # Ye Aiantes, ever eager for
battle ! ye twain can save the Achaians, if ye
cast off chilly fear and remember your ancient
valour. I myself have* no dread of the un¬
approachable arms of the Trojans, although they
have swarmed over your great wafl. One thing
alone I fear : that some evil* may befall us from
Hektor, who rages like a destroying fire, and
boasts as if, he were the son of Zeus. O may
some god inspire you to hold your ground,
yourselves,* and to make others do so! thus
would ye drive him back from the ships, even
though Olympian Zeus rohsed him to the fight.”
Then Poseidon struck them both with his wand,

M

162 THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

r <

and infused great valour into their hearts, and
made their limbs strong and active; he then
sped away, like a hawk which swoops from ahpve
a rock, in chase of some other bird. It was the
son cf Oileus who first knew the god, and said
to the other Aias, the son of Telamon : “ Aias !
that was not Kalchas, but one of the deathless
Olympian gods! I knew him by his* feet and
knees, as he turned away. ’And now I am more
eager for battle than ever.” Anti Telamonian
Aias answered ''him and said : “ My hands, too,
are eagerly grasping the spear, and my heart is
full of wfath, longing to fight ; I wouM gladly
meet even Hektor himself in single combat.”

But the limbs of the Achaians were weakened
and relaxed by their long toil ; and their souls
were sorely grieved by the sight of the Trojans
climbing over the v r alls. Gazing upon them, they
shed big tears, thinking that now they could not
escape sad death. Then Pfoseidon, coming amorg
‘them, called to him the heroes Leitos and Peneleos,
the Boiotians, Thoas the Aitolian, Dei’pyros, and
Meriones, and Antilochfos, son of Nestor, and
reproached them with winged words : “Shame on
you, Achaian n youths! to you I trusted to save
the ships. A monstrous and unheard-of thing
it is, that the* Trojans come against our walls.
Hitherto, they fled before us like hinds, weak
and timid, before wolves; they knew not the
joy of battle. But now, they are fighting far
fVom their city near the hollow ships, through
the" fault of our leader and the slackness of our
people. It may be that wide-ruling Agamemnon

XX GALLANT DE£DS OF HEKTOR 163

is the ’cause of all this evil, in thaf he disgraced
the fleet son of silver-footed Thetis. Yet we
must not, *on that account, refrain from battle.
If ye wpre # timid weaklings, I would not blame
you for holding back ; but the best Chief? of the
Achaian host are with you ; therefore I am indeed
wroth ^yitfi you. Then let each man feet shame
in his bwn heart; for terrible is the struggle which
lietji before us.”

Thus did the great Earth-Shaker, speaking as
one of themselves, urge on the Achaian Chiefs.
And they gathered round the two Aiantes, form¬
ing a band that neither the‘murderous Ares, nor
Athene, Rouser of the Nation, vjould despise.
They were the choicest warriors who stood
against Hektor, in. close array, spear by spear,
and shield by shield, and helmet by helme/, and
man by man. So close were*they to one another,
that the horse-hair chests touched as they nodded,
•and their spears ’crossed each other. And botfi
sides had joy in the battle. ,

For Hektor also led his Trojans on in close
order, like, a huge stone thrust from the crest of a
hill by the winters flood ; unchecked it rolls, till
it reacheth the plain, and then it rolls no more.
So Hektor seemed to be easily winning his way
through the tents and ships, witfh touch slaughter
of the Achaians. But when he met the close
battalion,,in which were the two Aiantes, he was
checked ajid driven back. Then he cried aloiid :
“ O ye Trojans and Lydians and Dardans, who
fight at close quarters, stand your ground! for
the Danaoi will not long resist; quickly will they

CH.

164 THE BOY;S ILIAD

flee before my spear, if indeed the King of Gods
and Men, the Loud-thundering Lord of Olympos,
hath rousec^me to fight.” # ' *

Thus he inspired courage afresh into tf>e hearts
of all. * And his brother De'iphobos, son of Priam,
proudly strode among them, intent on valorous
deeds. Meriones attacked him, striking the circle
of his bulls-hide shield, but did not pierce"it, for
the long shaft snapped at the ring. Deipho,bos
had feared that thrust, but Meriones drew back
among his comrades, wroth at missing, and at
losing his spear; he went back to the tents for
another spear, which «he had left there. *

Meanwhile, the others fought at close quarters,
and there was an incessant din of conflict,
'reukros first slew Imbrios, the, son of rich Mentor,
whose t wife, Medesikaste, was a daughter of King
Priam. Imbrios felPco the ground like a tall ash
tree, on the crest of a hill v hewn down by the
bronze axe ; and his armour, fang with a loud
sound, as he fell. Xhen Plektor aimed a lance at
Teukros, which missed him, but struck Amphi-
machos in the breast. When Hektor rushed for¬
ward to strip Amphimachos of his helmet, Aias
.aimed his spear* at Hektor ; it did not pierce his
body, but struck the boss of his shield with such
tremendous fofce'as to throw him back. Then the
Athenians, SticKios and goodly Menestheus, bare
the dead body of Amphimachos from fhe field ;
but the two Aiantes raised up that of Irqbrios, and
stripped it of his armour ; and the son of O’ileus
cut off the head, and rolled it like a ball, through
the throng, till it came to the feet of Hektor.

XX POSEIDON EXHORTS IDOMENEUS 16 c

• •

Now, Amphinfachos was the «> grandson of
Poseidon, who was exceedingly wroth when he
s^w him s'iain by Hektor. So the angry god
urged on the Danaoi* still more, and prepared
fresh sorrows for the Trojans. He camo to the
tent # of Idomeneus, in the likeness of Thoas, King
of the Aitolians, and thus addressed him :, “ O
thou, Cbunsellor of the Cretans ! what*hath become
of the Achaian threats against Troy?” And
Idomeneus answered : “No man among us is to
blame ; none yield to ehilly fear ; but it seemfeth
good to mighty Krtanion that we should parish
here, far away from our dpar homes. Still do
thou, O Thoas, as thou wert always staunch and
tri^e, call on the Achaian warriors tb stand firm :
cry aloud to them all.” *

And Poseidon answered : “ May that man

never depart from Troy, byt lie here to be the
sport of dogs and birds, who this day shirks the
►battle ! Come thenf take up thine arms, and we,
though we are but twain, may gain some advantage.
For the union of men, going in company together,
giveth couragfi even to*the timid and the weak.”

Then the # god, Poseidon, went to where was
the thick of the fighting; whil^ Idomeneus, re¬
turning to his own tent,* put on his brillianf
armour, grasped two heavy speafs, and came forth
again to *the battlefield. And*as he went he
met his good comrade Meriones, and said to him :
“ O dearest of my companions, why hast thou lefts
the battlS?” And Meriones answered: “Ham
going to fetch a spear from thy tent, for my own
I have broken on the shield of proud Deiphobos.”

166 THE BOY’S ILIAD on.

And Idomeneus, the mighty leader of the Cretans,
answered: “Spears thou wilt find, one or even
twenty, many of which I have taken from the
Trojans.” Meriones said' to him : “ I will not
forget my ancient valour, but will stand forth
among the foremost. And I know that though
the .other mail-clad Achaians may forget my
valorous deeds, thou knowest them well.”

And the great leader of the Cretans answered
him : “ Well do I know thy valour ! For if the
best men of the Achaians were ,chosen for an
amtjush, in which the brave man and the coward
are plainly seen—tl\e colour of the brave man
never changeth, but that of the coward changeth
often, and he kneeleth, now on one knee, and npw
on the other, and his heart beateth loudly in his
breast — if, I say, such a choice were made, no
one would think lightly of thee! And in battle
no weapon would strike on the nape of thy neck,
or on thy back, but in thy v breast or thy belly..
But let us no longer loiter here, talking like
children ; but do thou go and fetch a strong
spear ! ” And Meriones obeyed his word.

And even as baleful Ares, and' his dear son
and charioteer, Terror, go forth from Thrace to
fight the Ephyri or the high-minded Phlegyans,
so did Idomeneusand Meriones rush to the battle.
But first Meriones asked : “ Son of Deukalion !
into what part of the throng shall we make our
^charge ? ” Then Idomeneus answered him :
“There are others to direct the centre — the
twain' Aiantes and Teukros the best of archers,
valiant too at close quarters. They will give

XX

ZEUS AND POSEIDON 167

* §

great Hektor troubfe enough, however keen he
be ; he will not easily overcome those three, or
burn the ships, unless Zeus himself send down
a burning torch upon ^:hem! For # the great
Telamonian Aias would yield to no mortal man
who ejteth of Demeter’s ” (Ceres’) “ corn. Not even
to Achilles •would he yield in close fight, though
no one • could in swiftness of foot compare with
him . Let us then go to the left of the army,
that we may Quickly know whether we shall gain
glory from our fipes, or they from*us.” •

And when the Trojans saw Idomeneus, in fris
glorious*bright armour—like # the blazing fire of
Hephaistos or the lightning which Zeus shoots from
Olypipos, coming on—they shoutecl, arid pressed to¬
wards him, and the battle was renewed most fiercely.

Hard-hearted must that man be, who could
have looked without grief on this fearful strife !
It was the two mighty gods, Sons of Kronos,
Loud-thundering «Zeus and Poseidon, Girdler of
the % Earth, who ^vere contending here. ZeuS
would give victory to Hektor and the Trojans,
though he did ’not wish to destroy the Achaians
utterly, but ortly #to give glory to the goddess
Thetis and her mighty son AchiMes. Poseidon,
on the other hand, came setretly forth from the
hoary sea, and stirred the hearts rnf-the Achaians
to the batfcle. These two gods were sons of the
same crafty Kronos, born in the same place ; but
Zeus was the elder, and knew more. Therefore,
Poseidon cftd not dare to help the Achaians openly;
but, in a human form, he ranged through the'host
and cheered them on.

i68

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

Then Idomeneus, though v his hair was already
grey with age, having roused the Danaoi to fight
again, leapt amongst the Trojans, inspiring great
terror. And he first slew Othryoneus, of Kabesos,
who oame to Troy to ask Priam for the hand of
Kassandra, one of the fairest of his daughters.
He offered no gifts of wooing, but gave a promise
to Priam that he would drive the Achaians from
the land of Troy. And Priam consented to give
her to him ; and Othryoneus foilght bravely,
ttusting in the promise of the King. But now,
Idpmeneus mocked the dead Othryoneus, saying,
“ I congratulate thee, Othryoneus, above all men,
if thou shalt keep thy word to Priam, who
promised to give thee his daughter! We, too,
would give thee the fairest daughter of Aga¬
memnon, from Argos, if thou wouldst help us
to take the citadel, of King Priam.” Then he
dragged him by the foot, through the throng.

Asios came up, marching in front of his chariot,
&nd minded to cast his spear at Idomeneus ; but
Idomeneus was too quick for him, and drove his
spear right through the neck of Asios, who fell
backward, like the fall of a mighty oak, or a
poplar, or a lofty pine. And his charioteer lost
his head, and did not think to turn away his
horses; so he .00 was pierced with a spear by
Antilochos; then Deiphobos, fearing for his friend,
drew near, and cast his spear at Idomeneus. But
Idomeneus crouched beneath his shield, and the
spear flew over him ; it struck Hypsenor, son of
Hippasos, in the liver,' and loosened his knees ;
and Deiphobos shouted aloud, boasting over him :

XX POSEIDON BLINDS ALKATHOOS 169

“ Asios* is avenged^ and on his way to Hades,
strong Guardian of the Gate, he will rejoice that
I have sent him a companion ! ”

All the Achaians were grieved at this boast,
and especialfy Antilochos, who covered Ms dear
conu^ide with his shield, and, with the help of
Mekistos &nd goodly Alastor, bore him.to.the
ships. • feut Idomeneus relaxed not fn his force,
striving yet to kill more of the Trojans,
or else himSelf to perish while defending the
Achaians. Then fell the hero‘Alkathoos, son-
in-law of Anchises,* having married his ekiest
daughter Hippodameia, wham her ‘father and
her lady mother loved exceedingly, for she sur¬
passed all other maidens in beauty, skill, and
wisdom. Now Poseidon helped Idomeneus to*
conquer him, by blinding his bright eyes and
binding his strong limbs ; said Idomeneus, with
his spear, rent the coat of mail worn by Alkathoos,
and pierced his h(jart. Then Idomeneus cried
out, in triumplf to Deiphobos and said :
“Now stand up thyself against me, that thou
mayest learn what sort*of man I am ; for I am
the son of Deukalion, the son of Minos, the
son of Zeus ! ” 9

And Deiphobos hesitated, whether to meet
Idomeneus alone, or summon to # his aid another
great-hear£ed Trojan. And he thought it better
to fetch ^Aineias, whom he found by himself,
behind the crowd, for he was angry with Priam,
because Priam did not give him the honour^ttfat
was his due. And Deiphobos spake to Aineias :
“ O. great Counsellor of tlje Trojans ! come and

CH.

170 THE BOY’S ILIAD

« *

succour thy sister’s husband, ff thou carest at all
for thy kinsman Alkathoos, who was kind to thee
when thou wert a child! For now* Idomeneus
hath spoiled him of his arms.”

And the spirit of Aineias was roused, and he
went to seek Idomeneus. But Idomeneus waj not
dismayed ; he stood firm, giving no ground, await¬
ing the attfack, while he called on his* friends,
Askalaphos and Aphareus, Meriones and Anti-
lochos, with winged words: “ Corfie and help

me; for I am* alone, and I greatly fear the
onset of swift-footed Ai;ie?as ; for he is in the
flower of youth, wjiich is the greatest helper.”
Thus spake he ; and they all, with one accord,
came to him* ancf stood with their bucklers cjose
'together.

On the other side, Aineias called on his com¬
rades, De'iphobos, a*d Paris, and noble Agenor,
great Chiefs of the Trojans. They rushed against
each other, with their long*spcmrs, quite close to
Alkathoos ; but the twain opposing heroes, Aiqeias
and Idomeneus, above all the rest, strove to pierce
one another’s flesh. Aineiifs cast firs # t at Idomeneus,
who carefully watched him and«avdided the spear,
and it fell quivering into the ground. But that
which Idomeneus tlfrew, missing Aineias, hit
Oinomaios in the belly, breaking through his
corslet; and he fell, clutching the dust with his
hand. Then Idomeneus drew forth his Jong spear
from the body, but could not spoil Oinomaios of
hil beautiful armour, because he was hard pressed
by die darts of the Trojans ; and, on account of
his age, his feet no longer served him in a charge

xx DEATH OF ASKALAPHOS 171

* ft

or in retreat; but in* close combat he could still
hold off the ruthless day of doom. As he slowly
left the field, De'iphobos^ who cherished a bitter
hatred against Idomeneus, cast a spear at him,
which missed*him, but struck Askalaphos, St son
of Ei\yalios (Ares), in the shoulder, and he fell
in the dust. • # •

The loud-voiced God of War, Ares* knew not
that his son had fairen ; for he was lying on a
peak of 01ymf)os, under the clouds, detained there
by Zeus, who also kept the other immortals from
the battle. * # •

Then* De'iphobos tore off the fielmet of
Askalaphos ; but Meriones struck the arm of
Deifffiobos, and the bright casque fell clanging to
the ground ; and theyjed him from the din of war.
Godlike Aineias struck Aphareus in the throat,
and death, the destroyer, overwhelmed fiim.
Antilochos spied out Thoon, and aimed at him,
and cut the artery of Jiis neck, as he turned away;
and |je fell, stretchtng out his hands to his dear
comrades. And while Antiloclios was stripping
him of his armour, the Trojans gathered round
him, and struck # his abroad shield ; but they could
not pierce his flesh, for the great* Earth-Shaker
protected the son of Nestor on every side. And
as Antilochos was slowly making bfts way through
the crowd of foes, Adamas, the soft of the slain
Asios, struck the middle of his shield with his
bronze spear ; but again Poseidon warded off the
shaft from the life of Antfiochos. And Adamas
fell back among his comrades ; but Meriones, the
Achaian, followed, and wounded him in the belly,

172

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

near the navel, where a wound is most destructive
to miserable mortals.

And Helenos, son of Priam, smote De’fpyros
on the forehead with a great Thrakian sword, and
his helmet rolled on the ground ; one of the
Achaians picked it up ; but darkness veiled the
eyes pf Deipyros. Then, when Menelaos Atreides
saw him fall, he turned upon Prince Helenos,
shaking his huge spear ; wnile Helenos fitted a
keen arrow to the string of his polished bow, and
discharged it at "Menelaos; but it glanced off from
h's corslet, and pierced not to his flesh. Then
Atreides 6f the loud war-cry aimed his spear at
Helenos, and sent its point right through his hand,
which held the polished bow. Helenos drew back
among his comrades ; and the high-minded Agenor
drew out the spear, and dressed the wound of
his hand with twisted sheep’s wool. And
Peisandros rushed at Menelaos, and struck his
shield ; but the point was turned and broke in
the iron socket. Then the twflin fought hand in
hand ; Menelaos with his silver-studded sword,
and Peisandros with an "axe. Peisandros struck
the horse-hair crest of Menelaos 1 ; but Menelaos
struck the othfcr on the forehead, above the nose,
and crushed his bones ; and his eyes fell bleeding
to the ground. *

Menelaos Stood over him, exulting : “O ye
Trojans, ever covetous of war, ye too^hall suffer
loss and shame, which ye inflicted on me—ye base
dogs—having no fear of Loud-thundering Zeus,
the Protector of Guests ! O ye who, unprovoked,
carried off my lawful wife, and much wealth of

XX MENELAOS AND PEISANDROS 173

mine, ncfw ye strive* to burn our ht>llow ships,
and slay the Achaian heroes. O Father Zeus!
how greatly 'dost thou love violent men, even
these wicked Trojans, who can never have enough
of war ! ” Then he spoiled Peisandros of his
blood-stained arms, and gave them to his com¬
rades, and hfmself went again into the thick q f the
fight. • * #

And Harpalion, t*he Paphlagonian, rushed on
Menelaos, ancf smote the middle of his shield^
but pierced him ryot with his spear,* and fell back ;
then Meriones shot him, through the buttock and
the bladdter, and Harpalion sat. down among his
friends, and breathed out his spirit,

I^w Hektor, favourite of Zeus, knew nothing
of the defeat of the.Trojans on the left of the
ships ; or how Poseidon, the great Girdler of the
Earth, had encouraged and defended the Achaians.
He himself remained within the walls and the gate,
a» he had leapt in* ^here the wall was lowest;
there, he broke the # close ranks # of the Achaians.
Here were the ships of Alas and Protesilaos, drawn
up on the strand* of the lbud-resounding sea ; and
here the battle* of* the heroes was the hottest.
Here the Boiotians, the tunic-trailing Ionians, and
the Phthiotes and noble Epeians, strove in vain to
stay the onset of noble Hektor, wht> came on like
a flame of fire. Among the Achaians were the
best of the Athenians, even Menestheus, Pheidon,
Stichios, brave Bias, Medon, son of Aias Oileus,
and Podarkes, a stalwart warrior. Aias, the son
of Oileus, never left the side of his brother the
Telamonian Aias, not even £ little way ; but, as

174

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

two dark-fed oxen strain at the plough, while
much sweat breaketh out round their horns, so stood
the twain ( Aiantes side by side. Now many of his
noble comrades followed the Telamonian, and bare
his shield when he was fordone with labour ; but
the Lokrians followed him not, for thev were
net steady at close quarters ; they h£d no bronze
helmets, or round shields, or ashen spears, ‘but only
bows and slings of well-twisted wool, with which
they assailed the lines of the Trojans. And the
Trojans forgot the joy of battle, for the thick¬
flying arrows and stones utterly confounded them.
They were disheartened, and would have with¬
drawn frorp tfie battle to windy Ilios, had not
the wise Polydamas spoken winged worc^s to
Hektor :

“ O Hektor ! thou dost not willingly listen to
the counsel of others ; and because the gods have
made thee pre-eminent in deeds of war, thou
wishest to excel in counsel also. But thou canst
not do everything ; I will therefore say what is
in my heart. The high-hearted Trojans, having
thrown down the wall, are now dispersed among
the ships, and are fighting, but they are few against
many ; therefore call to thee all the bravest of the
Chiefs and withdraw.”

So spake he ; and his prudent counsel pleased
the noble Hektor, who leapt from his chariot to
the ground, in full armour, and spake in answer
to Polydamas : “ Do thou stay here, with the best
men of the Trojans ; but I will go and face the
war again, and will presently return, when I have
given my strict orders.” So he set forth, in

XX HEKTOR REPROACHES PARIS 17

* I

appearance like a snow-capped mountain, and
with loud cries, passed through the Trojan lines
all who heafd his voice hastened to Polydamas, th
manly son of PanthoOs. *

Then HeLtor hastened on to find Deiphobos anc
the Prince Helenos, and Asios, son of Hyrtakos
and the others ; but he found them not #11 *un
injured ; for some lay dead among thfe ships, slaii
by the Argives ; and many within the walls wen-
wounded. But to the left of the grievous battle
he soon found, goodly *Alexandf*os, Lord of fht
fair-haired Helen. AnJ Hektor, in his sore grie
at the # sight of his dead companion^, addressee
Paris with opprobrious words:

Thou evil Paris, fair to look upon, base
deceiver of women ! # where, I pray, are Deiphobos
and Helenos and Adamas ? and where is the brave
Othryoneus ? Now Ilios hath perished, and our
destruction is near ! ”

• Alexandros answered him : “ Hektor, since

thop 'choosest to # blame me, ^who am blameless,
another day I might well abstain from battle ; but
my mother did* not beaV me altogether a coward.
Ever since thoil didst summon thy comrades to the
fight amongst the ships, we have f*emained cease¬
lessly warring with the Danaon Some of those about
whom thou askest are dead; but? Deiphobos and
strong Helenos are only wounded by the spear ;
for the Sop of Kronos saved them from sad death.
But do thou lead on, and we will follow thee, so
far as we # have strength ; § for no man can fight
beyond his strength.”

So these twain went forth together, where the

CH.

176 THE BOY’S ILIAD

battle was hottest. There they found Kebriones,
and godlike Polydamas, and Phalkes, and Orthaios,
and noble Polyphetes, and Palmys, and Askanios,
and Morys 1 ; the last of these had come out of the
rich land of Askania, in Mysia, on the'morn before,
whom Zeus now urged to fight. And they rushed
on Uke the violent winds, which sweep over the
earth and with loud roaring mingle with the salt
sea, and raise the swelling waves, arched and white
with foam. And the glorious Hektor led them,
always in the front, charging the ranks of the
Achaians ; but he could not' daunt their courage.
Aias, striding forward, was the first to challenge
him, with taunting words: “O my good Sir ! why
dost thou vainly try to frighten the Argives ? We
^re not unskilled in war, though we are vanquished
by the terrible wrath of Zeus. Thou hopest, no
doubt, to burn our ships ; but we too have hands,
to defend ourselves. Soon shall thy proud city
fall beneath our arms ; soon shalt thou thyself, as
fhou fleest, pray to Zeus and all the gods, that thy
fair-maned horses, swifter than the falcon’s wing,
may bear thee to the city ! ”

While Aias was yet speaking, a high-soaring
eagle flew on the right hand, and the Achaians
marked it, and shouted with joy at the happy
omen. But Hektor answered him : “ Thou clumsy
braggart! what' words have passed the hedge of
thy teeth ? Would that I were as sure that
Zeus was my father and Hera my mother, as I
arh that this day shall bring utter ruin to the
Argives! And thou too shalt be slain, if thou
hast the courage to await my strong spear, and

XX NESTOR AND WOUNDED CHIEFS 177

thou shalt feast the *dogs of Troy with thy white
flesh.” So speaking, Hektor led the way, and the
Trojans with loud shouts followed him.

The Argives, mindful of their impetuous valour,
awaited the charge of the best of the TrojanS ; and
the din of battle rose through the upper air, to
the bright glories of Zeus. 9 ♦

But*debtor, in his tent, even ov£r his wine,
heard the battle-cries, and spake winged words to
Machaon, th£ son of Asklepios (iEsculapius), the
God of Medicine : “ What thinktst thou, O nol>le
Machaon, that we ought to do ? for the shouts*of
the warriors at the ships grow louder and louder.
But sit thou at the glowing wine, fill the fair-haired
Hekamede prepare a warm bath for thee, and wash
thy wounds; and I.will go forth, and learn the
truth.” And he took the bright bronze shield of
his son, horse-taming Thrasytnedes, and a strong
spear, and strode out of the tent, and cried : “ O
shame] the high-spirited Trojans are driving the
Adrians before "them ! ” And the old man
pondered in his heart, this way and that, whether
to rush into the* ranks of the horse-loving Danaoi,
or to follow Agamemnon ; and it seemed to him
best to go to the wide-ruling Atreifles.

And on his way, Nestor met the heaven-born
Chiefs who had been wounded : # even Tydeides,
Odysseus, ahd Agamemnon. The 'Kings came on
together, leaning on their spears, and surveying
the battle ; and sore were their hearts within their
breasts. And the mighty Agamemnon addressed
him : “ O son of Neleus, pride of the Achaians !
why hast thou left the banefpl war ? Greatly I fear

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

I 7 8

that Hektor* will fulfil his boast, that he would
never return to Troy until he had burnt our ships
and slain our men. Woe is me for the well-
greaved Achaians! for not Achilles alone, but
others*, are wroth with me, and have no mind to
fight.”

And Gerenian Nestor answered him and said :
“ All these things have happened, and* Loud-
thundering Zeus himself cannot undo the past.
The wall, in which we trusted, is thrown down ;
and the Acharans are * pressed on every side,
routed and slain. Let us then take counsel ; but
they that fire wounded can in nowise engage in
battle.”

Then Agamemnon, King of men, answered him
again : “ O Nestor ! since the battle is being

waged at the rearmost ships, and the trench and
the wall have been .overpassed, what hope is left
us? For I see that it is the will of Zeus that the
Argives perish ingloriously, far away from Argos.
1 knew it, even when he aided r us ; but now he is
giving great glory to the Trojans. Come, then,
let us all agree. Let launch the ships of the
first line, near the divine salt &?a, and moor them,
till the sacred c Night cometh ; and then, if the
Trojans abstain from battle, we may drag down
the rest of the ships, and escape from this shore.”

But Odysseus, the man of many wiles, looking
scornfully at him, spake: “ O Atreides, evil

counsellor ! what a word hath passed the barrier
of thy lips! Thou oughtest to lead* a coward
army, and not us , to whom Zeus hath allotted to
wind the skein of toilsome war until every man of

XX ODYSSEUS CHIDES AGAMEMNON 179

us has * perished, foost thou realty wish us to
leave the wide-streeted city of Troy, on account
of which we have endured such toil ancf sorrow ? ”

Then Agamemnon, King of men, replied •
“ Odysseus, thou hast touched me nearly by thy
bitter words. And now, I do not command the
Achaian^ to launch their swift ships on th? hoary
sea — Against their will! But perhaps there is
some one here who will give a better counsel than
mine. Be he young or old, it will be welcome ! ”

And Diomedes, good at the* battle-cry, rose
and spake : “That man.is near at hand, not long
to seek,' if ye will listen to me? and not’be offended
by my youth. I too am descended from a noble
sire, even Tydeus, who sleepeth beneath a mound
of earth in Thebes. Therefore, ye cannot say that
I am, by birth, a weakling or a coward, ajid so
despise my counsel. Let us go down to the battle,
wounded though we t are ; and keep beyond the
range, of the arroWs ; and spur on those who, in
their anger, hold ’ themselves .aloof from the war
and will not fight.”

They ajl readily obeyed this advice, and fol¬
lowed the wide-ruling Agamemnon to the battle¬
field. %

Now, the far-filmed Earth-Shaker, the god
Poseidon, was still on the watch among them, and
went with Them, in the guise of an aged man ; and
he took Agamemnon by the right hand, and spake
to him winged words : “ Atreides! now, me-
thinks, the savage heart of Achilles is full of, joy,
when he seeth the rout and slaughter of the
Achaians ! May he likewise perish, and may the

CH. XX

180 f THE BOY’S ILIAD

c

gods destroy him!” So spake the * mighty
Girdler of the Earth, and shouted as loud as the
united cry, of nine or teg thousand men ; and he
put fresh strength and courage into ,the hearts of
the Achaians.

CHAPTER XXI

W may easily guess how grieved and angry that
mighty goddess, the white-armed Hera, was
when she saw her beloVed Achaians routed and
slain by the Trojans. *She sat on the topmost
peak oPOlympos, and saw hen husband. Almighty
Zeus, sitting on the highest ridge of many-rilled
Ida.; and she hated him in her inmost heart.
Then the ox-eyed Queen considered in her mind,
how she might beguile her Lord, the TEgis-bearing
Zeus. This seemed to her the best plan : to
dress and adorn herself, and to fare to Ida, and
-soothe him with -fair soft words, and close his
crafty eyes in sleep. So she,went to her bower,
which her dear son Hephaistos had made for her in
the palace of tHe gods ; v and she fastened the doors
with a cunning bolt, which no other god could
draw. There she bathed her, and anointed her
with soft ambrosial oil, which, when shaken even
a little, sent a fragrant odour through earth and
heaven. Then she plaited her beautiful hair ; and
clad herself with a sweet-smelling robe, which
Athene had made for her, and fastened it on her
breast with golden clasps, She girt her with a
girdle of a hundred golden tassels, and put ear¬
rings, of three glittering drpps, in her pierced ears.

181

182 THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

f

Over her faee she spread a hew veil, brilliant as
the sunshine, and bound her beautiful sandals on
her shining feet. She then called Aphrodite, the
Goddess of Love and Beauty, away from the other
gods and said to her :

“ Dear Daughter of Zeus ! wilt thou now grant
my request ? or wilt thou refuse, because I help
the Danaoi,'whilst thou lovest the Trojans ?”

The beautiful goddess Aphrodite answered:
“ O Goddess and Queen, Daughter' of Kronos !
teli me thy wish, that I may fulfil it, if I can ! ”

Then the crafty Hera spake deceitful words
and said : “ Give me now Love and Grace, where¬
with thou dost vanquish gods and men ; for I
am going to the farthest bourne of the bountiful
Earth, the grain-giver, and to Okeanos, Father of
the Gods, and Mother Tethys, who brought me
up in their halls. Now 1 go to loose their quarrels ;
for they avoid each other, since wrath has entered
their hearts/’

And laughter-loving Aphrodite answered her :
“ It were not right to refuse thee anything ; for
thou art the wife of Zeus, the Great Ruler of the
Gods.” Then she took off her embroidered
girdle, wherein are all her magic charms, Love,
and Sweet Converse, that stealeth away the
wisdom, even of the wise. “ Hide this girdle of
grace in thy bosom,” she said, “ and thou shalt
accomplish all that thou desirest.”

Then Aphrodite went into the palace, and Hera
rufched down from Olympos, over Pieria and lovely
Emathia, and .over the highest peaks of the snowy
hills of Thrace ; nor did she touch the ground,

XXI HOW HERA BEGUILED HYPNOS 183

ever so* lightly. F^om Athos she •crossed the
raging sea, and came to Lemnos, to the city of
godlike Thbas. And she sought out Hypnos
(Sleep), the brother of Death ; and tobk him by
the hand, and called him by his name : •

“ P Sleep, who rulest over gods and men !
obey me n«w, and I will ever be grateful. I will
that thou close the bright eyes of Zeus fn ambrosial
slumber. And I Will give thee the fairest gifts :
a golden thrtme, the work of mine own son, the
lame Hephaistos*; and a footstool for thy shiniflg
feet, to use when thod forest to a banquet/’ •
Then sweet Sleep answered and*said: “O
Queen and Goddess! any other god I could
easjjy lull to sleep, even Okeanos, the father of
them all ; but I dare not go near Zeus, unless he
himself commanded me. For once, at thy request,
when thou didst drive his great son, Herakles, as
he was returning from the sack of Troy, far away
from his friends, t $id lull to slumber the great
/Egis-bearing ZeiJs, by my gentle power. Buf
he, when he awoke, was furiously angry ; and
hurled all the gods aboift, this way and that; and
would have ca£t nu into the Deep, if Night, that
subdueth both gods and men, liad not saved
me. To her I prayed, and 2 eus ceased from pur¬
suing me ; for even he dared ifot offend swift

Night.” • •

Then t # he ox-eyed Queen offered a still more
precious bribe. “ Come now,” she said, “ fulfil my
wish ; and* I will give thee one of the fairest 6f
the Graces, for whom thou hast longed all thy life,
to be thine own wedded wife.”

184

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

And Sleep was glad, but cautious : “ Swear to
me, then,” he said, “ by the sacred inviolable water
of the Styx ; and lay one hand on Earth, the grain-
giver, and the other on the bright sparkling Sea,
and let all the gods of the Lower World bear
witness, that thou wilt, in good sooth, give me
Pasithea, whom I have longed for all my life ! ”
And the-white-armed goddess, ox-eyed Hera,
called on all the gods, by name, who dwell below
Tartaros, even the huge Titans ; and sware the
irievocable oath.-

c

x Then these twain, Hera and Hypnos, left
the isles of Lemnos and Imbros, veiled in
cloud, and quickly came to many-streamed Ida,
the mother of wild beasts, and to Lekton, where
they left the sea and journeyed high over the dry
land ; and the tall forest trees waved beneath their
feet. * There Hypnos halted, fearing to meet the
eye of Zeus ; and he settled on the loftiest pine,
on the hill of Ida, in the form of the bird which
the gods call “ chalkis,” and men, “kymindis”
(“ night-jar,” a kind of swift, or the “ night-
hawk ”). But Hera went* to the top of Gargaros,
the highest crest of Ida; and ,Zeus, the Cloud-
Gatherer, saw her. And he greatly admired her
beauty and grace, girdled as she was with the zone
of Aphrodite. He saw the splendid dress in which
she had arrayed herself; and he addressed her
kindly, and asked wherefore she had come from
Olympos.

“ And guileful Hera told him the same false
story with which she had cheated Aphrodite. And
Hera flattered him, and cajoled him ; and Hypnos

XXI ZEUS IS LAID TO SLEEP 185

came near, and closed his all-seeing e'yes in a deep
sleep.

Then H’ypnos went straight to tfye Achaian
camp and spake winged words to the great Earth-
Shaker : “ ]>fow then, Poseidon ! help the Efanaoi!
for I, have shed sweet slumber over the eyes of
Zeus.” * >

And Poseidon, when he heard it, rushed to the
front of the Achaian host, and shouted aloud :
u O ye Argives, will ye yield again to gre^t
Hektor, who threatened! to burn your ships ; since
Achilles, in his anger, remaineth in his tent ?” *

He 'spake, and the wounded Chiefs, even
Tydeides, Odysseus, and Agamemnon, marshalled
the, host. Then the Earth-Shaker led them,
with a sharp sword, like the lightning, in his
hand. The Trojans, on the other side, „were
set in array by glorious Hektor. And then a
fierce fight began, between dark-haired Poseidon
with the Achaians, # a*id Hektor with his Trojans,*
as tl\ey rushed upo # n each otheu with loud shouts.
The waves of the sea, raised by the harsh north
wind, or the roar of blazing fire burning the
forest on the mountain, are not so loud as the
terrible cries of Trojans and Achaians, as they
clashed together.

And noble Hektor first cast his spear at
mighty AiaS, and struck him where the belt of
his shield ^nd the belt of his sword crossed one
another ; but these guarded his tender flesh. Sq
H ektor retreated among bis followers, angry at
heart that he had missed. But as he was retiring,
Aias hurled a huge stone at him, and made him

186 § THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

spin round like a top. And he fell, as'an oak
falls, struck by the dread bolt of Zeus, to the
terror of t^iose who standi by and beliold it. So
fell the mighty Hektor, and his ^rmour rang
upon fiim; then the Achaians, with loud shouts of
triumph, tried to drag him away. But Polydamas
and Aineias and Agenor, and the Ljfkijns, Sar-
pedon and (jlaukos, ran up, and covered him with
their shields. Then his comrades bore him tp his
wfll-built chariot; and the charioteeV drave him,
deeply moaning, towards’ the city. They stayed
by the eddying river Xanthos, the son of im¬
mortal Zeus; and* poured water over *Hektor.
And he recovered his breath, opened his eyes, and
( sat upon his heels ; but he vomited black blood
and sank again to the ground, and darkness veiled
his eyes.

The Argives, when they saw noble Hektor
borne away from the field, rushed forward still
jnore eagerly. Aias, the son of O'ileus, leapt
upon Satnios, son of Enops and a beautiful Naiad
nymph, and wounded 1 pm in the side. The
spear-bearing Polydamas came # to .the aid of
Satnios, and sept his spear through the shoulder
of Prothoenor, son t of Areilykos; he fell in
the dust, and % Polydamas boasted over him,
crying, “ Onc^ more, my spear hath not flown
in vain ! “

The Achaians were wroth to hear jhis boast ;
especially the Telamonian Aias, for ^Prothoenor
fell dose by his side. .Aias hurled his long spear
at Polydamas; but it missed him, and smote
Archilochos, son of Antenor, between the head

XXI ZEUS A^yAKETH ^ 187

and neck. Many others fell on both* sides in the
dire struggle.

Now, when the Troians had fled across the
palisade at tjje trench, and were driven back to
their chariots in confusion, Zeus awoke, pfe saw
the Trojans in full flight, and the Achaians pur¬
suing, and imong them Poseidon, the greats Rifler
of the Sea. He saw brave Hektor stretched on
the plain, gashing and vomiting much blood, and
wandering in his mind. And Zeus pitied hirg.
Then, looking darkly *at Hera, he spake in
wrath : “ This is thy work ; by thy wicked wilfis,
thou hast made the noble Hektor cease from
fighting. I know not whether »I will not beat
thee- soundly for thy cruel treachery. Hast thou
forgotten, how once, thou wert hung up from
heaven, with two heavy anvils at thy feet,.and
with golden fetters round therfl which no one could
break ? There thou didst hang, amid the clouds ;
and thpugh the gddc were angry with me, they
could not loose thy bonds ! For, whomsoever I
will, I seize, and hurl hijn fainting to the earth!
Remember .these things; and cease from thy
wiles ; for they wilt not profit thee jt all.”

Thus spake Almighty Zeiis ; and the ox-eyed
Hera, Queen of Heaven, trembled at his words.
She answered him : “ I swear by jMother Earth,
and by the* High Heaven, and by the down-
rushing wajer of the Styx, and by thine own
sacred Head—that not by my will doth the Earth;
Shaker bring distress on the Trojans! It is.his
own soul that impelleth him ; for he pitied the
Achaians, when he saw them routed at the ships.

188

CH.

# THE BOY’S ILIAD

But I will aclvise him, O thou Great Lord of the
Storm-Cloud ! to follow wherever thou leadest.”

Then tjje great Fatherpf Gods and Men smiled,
and spake to her winged words : “ O ox-eyed
Queen ! ” he said, “ if thou wouldst continue to be
of the same mind with me, then would Poseidon,
hoWerer reluctantly, turn his thoughts ,to agree
with thine and mine. If thoy art really speaking
sooth, go and call Iris, and send her to Poseidon,
tjjat she may order him to leave the war and go
to his own'home. And Iet # Phoibos Apollo of the
Silver Bow breathe fresh strength into Hektor,
and ease him of hfs pains, so that he may drive
the Achaians back again.”

Thus spake the Loud - Thunderer ; and* the
white-armed goddess Hera hastened to obey
him.* She rushed swiftly down the hill of Ida,
and went up to steef> Olympos, and mingled with
the other gods in the palace of Zeus. When
Jhey saw her, they all rose to welcome her, and
held out their goblets of wine. Hera took> the
cup of fair-cheeked Therrys, who fan to meet her,
and spake thus to her : “ Hera [ wherefore art
thou come wijh looks distrailght? Surely, the
Son of Kronos, thine* own husband, hath terrified
thee! ”

And Hera jmswered her : “ Thou knowest, O
Goddess Themis, how haughty and unyielding he
is. But do thou prepare the banquet for the
gpds, 'and thou and the other imn^ortals shall
learja the evil purposes of Zeus. They will not,
methinks, equally please the minds of gods, or
of mortals.”

XXI ARES DEFIES RATHER ZEUS 189

The *gods were heavy at heart/ when they
heard her words ; and Hera smiled, indeed, with
her lips, but a gloomy frown darkened^ her fore¬
head ; and wjathfully she spake again :

“ Foolish are we to be wroth with !Zeus!
Vainly should we try to turn him from his will!
He sits ^lone, and careth not, for he knoweth
that he~ is, by far, the first of all the gods in
strength and power. On Ares chiefly hath the
blow fallen ; for his son, Askalaphos, to him tlje
dearest of men, hath fallen in battle.”

Then Ares smote hie strong thighs with his
hands, and said: “Blame me»not, ye who dwell
upon Olympos ! if I go to the ships to avenge my
son,-* even though Zeus should strike me with his
bolt, and send me to lie among dead men in dust
and blood.”

Thus speaking, he ordered his sons, <Po/3o?
(Fear) and A etfios (Terror) to yoke his horses;
and himself donn&F his bright armour. Theu,
would the strife between Zeus and the other gods
have become still greater and more grievous, had
not AtheneJeapt from her lofty throne, and taken
from Ares his helrrifet and his shielcj and his spear,
and reproved him sharply : % “ Ares! crazy and
mad art thou, and utterly void of reason! Hast
thou no ears to hear, what the white-armed
goddess Hera saith, who hath even now come
from Olympian Zeus ? Wilt thou fulfil thine evil
destiny, anc| be driven back to Olympos, and bring
disasters and confusions with thee to all the gQds ?
O Ares ! cease from thy wrath; as for thy
son, many a better man than he hath fallen, and

CH.

190 THE BOY’S ILIAD

will fall.” ' Thus spake the wise Athene, and
forced the impetuous Ares back tq his seat. ' ‘

And Hera then called ■ out Apollo and Iris from
the hall, and spake to them : “ Zeus summoneth
you in all haste to Ida ; there look ye on his face,
and obey his commands, whatever they may be.”
And the twain, Apollo and Iris, flew to the many-
rilled Ida, the nurse of ( wild beasts, and
found All-seeing Zeus, sitting on the topmost
pfak of Gargaros. They stood before Almighty
Zeus; and he was pleased,that they had obeyed
the voice of Hera. He spake winged words to
Iris : “ Go to the King Poseidon, and tell him all;
and order him *0 cease from battle. But if he
will not obey, let him consider how he can await
my coming against him ; for I am far mightier
than.he, and elder born.”

So spake he ; and Iris, of the winged feet,
rushed down from Ida to holy Troy, swift as the
snjpw or hail, driven by the north wind,, which
fleets from the clouds of heaven. And she spake
to Poseidon : “ O dark-haired Earth-Shaker ! I
bring a message from ffegis-bearing Zejjs. He
biddeth thee cease from war and depart.”

Then great Poseidon, Ruler of the Sea, in his
wrath answered her: “ Mighty as he is, yet he
hath spoken too arrogantly to me,- who am his
equal in the glory of descent. We three, Zeus,
Hades, and I, are sons of Kronos and *Rhea ; and
we three drew lots: Hades drew t:he gloomy
realm of Darkness ; Zeus, the wide Heaven ; and
I, the hoary Sea.”

Iris answered him : “ O Girdler of the Earth !

XXI POSEIDON RETREATS TO THE SEA 191

*

dost thou really wish that I should* carry back
this harsh and violent message to great Zeus ? ”
And Posftidon then said : “ O Goddess, well
hast thou spoken : an excellent thing it*is, when a
messenger is of a prudent mind. Yet it is a
grievous thing, for one who is his peer, to bear
his reproach.” So speaking, the great J 2 ar.th-
Shaker’retired from the battlefield, afid plunged
into the deep ; and t*he Achaians missed him sadly.

Tlien the great Cloud-Gatherer said to Apollo :
“ Go, dear Phoibos, to* great Hektor ; for tlie
Girdler of the World,‘Poseidon, fearing my wrath,
is gone to the shining sea. Bijt take my tasselled
aegis, and frighten therewith the^Achaian heroes.
And take good care of glorious Hektor ; and
rouse his wrath, till, he drive the Achaians in
flight to their hollow ships, on the shore of the
Hellespont.” •

And the Archer God heard the words of the
Great Father, and <o]?eyed. He shot down from
Ida, % like a falcon,*that is the # swiftest of all the*
birds, the destroyer of doves. And he found
noble \jhle]ttor sitting up ; he knew, now, his
comrades who s # urr®unded him, for he had gotten
back his breath and life agaii^ And Apollo spake
to him : “ Be of good courage! for the Son of
Kronos hath aent thee an ally, froifi Ida, to defend
thee : even imoibos Apollo of the Golden Sword.
Come now # order thy charioteer to drive thee to
the hollow ships ; and I will smooth the way, and
drive the Achaian heroes into flight.” Then he
breathed great strength into glorious Hektor;
and as a well-fed horse breaketh his tether and

CH.

192 THE BOY’S ILIAD

gallopeth o\fer the plain, to loathe in the flowing
river, exulting in his strength, so Hektor moved
his limbs with ease, and urged on h*is charioteer,
when he lieard the voice of Apollo.

Tfie Danaoi, who had confidently followed
their leaders, slaying the Trojans with sword and
spear, # when they saw great Hektor ag 5 in # marshal-
ling his m£h, were seized with fear, and dll their
courage fell. Then Thoas, son of Andraynon,
the best of the Aitolians, spake among them :
“ Alas ! what a marvellCus thing is this which
we behold ! Hektor, W10, we hoped, had been
slain by Telamoniaa Aias, is restored to fife again
by some one. of jhe deathless gods ! Not without
the will of Loud-thundering Zeus doth he show
himself in the front rank, .eager for the fight.
But jiow, let all obey my words. Let us bid the
great multitude of Cur host return to the ships,
and let the best of us stand prepared to meet
Hektor, with levelled spears.i’ • t •

They heard, apd gladly Obeyed him. And
Aias, and the Prince Idomeneus, and Teukros, and
Meriones, and Meges, peer of Ares, ^nd/all the
best men, sustained together* the conflict with
Hektor, as he, with Jong strides, led the Trojans
forward in close array. In front of him moved
Phoibos Apollo, wrapped in a clou<^ holding up
the dread gleaming a:gis with the slfaggy fringe
of tassels, which the great Artificer, Hephaistos,
had made for Zeus. The Argives awaited the
change. Arrows and spears flew from either side ;
and some of them pierced the flesh of men, while
others sank harmless to the ground. So long as

xxr ROUT OF THE ACHAIANS 193

* . *

Apoll6, t only held tl& aegis motionless in his hand,
the people fell slain on either side ; but when he
looked straight into the faces of the Danaoi, and
shook the aegis, and shouted aloud,'#then their
courage fell* and they were no longer mindful of
impetuous valour.

First Hektor slew Stichios, leader of the mail-
clad Bdiotians, and Arkesilaos, the s comrade of
Menestheus. Aineks slew Medon, brother of Aias,
and* Iasos, kader of the Athenians. And Poly-
damas slew Mekistheus ; and »Polites overcame
Echios ; and Agenor, Klonios the Boiotian ; and
Paris drove his spear right through the shoulder
of Deiochos, as he was flying‘through the warriors
in # the front ranks. While fhe Trojans were
spoiling the slain, the Achaians, fleeing in terror,-
dashed across the ditch and palisade, and were
driven within the wall. m 0

Then Hektor shouted mightily to the Trojans :

, “ Leave the spoil,.and make for the ships ! ” He
lashed his horses^ and drove, shouting, along the
ranks. The other Trojan leaders held their horses
level ^with his ; and a terrible clamour arose. In
front/df them* Plpibos Apollo pushed down the
bank of the ditch, throwing earth# into it, so as to
form a wide bridge for the Trojans. The routecf
Argives halted by the ships a»d called to one
another, liMng their hands in prayer to all the
gods.

Chief # among them did Gerenian Nestor, great
and wise# guardian of the Achaians, raise his
hands towards the starty heaven, and pray :
a O Father Zeus! if ever we, in corn-clad

THE BOY'S ILIAD

CH.

194

Argos, have* burnt for thee* the fat of bulls
or sheep — save us, Olympian ! from the day
of pitiless doom ! ”

Then Zeus, the Counsellor, thundered loudly,
when Jie heard the prayer of the aged son of
Neleus ; and the Trojans, hearing the thunder of
great Zeus, rushed forward, still moije eagerly,
against 0 the r Achaians. And, as when a-mighty
billow of the wide salt sea pours down upon the
bulwarks of a ship, so did the Trojans, with loud
shouts, pass the jvalls and, drive their horses on.
At the farthest row of the ships, they were already
figliting ha©d to hand ; the Trojans from their
chariots, the Achaiins from the decks of their
ships. •

Now, while the fighting was going on at the
wall, Patroklos was sitting in r the tent of the kind
Eurypylos, soothing f him with talk, and laying
healing unguents on his painful wound. But
when he saw the Trojans swarming over the wall,
and the panic flight of the Danaoj, then he groaned,
and smote his thighs, and deeply grieving spake :
“ O Eurypylos! I can stay with thee no longer,
for a fierce contest is going on ; andT mu&t nasten
to Achilles, andcurge him to the" war ! ”

* While yet speaking, he was hurrying away.
The Achaian Chiefs still stood firm against the
onslaught of the Trojans, but couU^not drive
them from the ships ; nor could the Trojans break
through the ranks of the Danaoi, or force a way
ta the tents and ships. Hektor now ^>ught the
illustrious Aias, as these t?wain were fighting near the
same ship. Hektor could not yet set fire to the

XXI ZEUS BREAKS TEUKROS’ BOW 195

* .

ship ; but Aias could not drive him* away, since
Apollo urged him on.

But glorious Aias, with his spear, struck
Kaletor, son of Klytios, it brother of King Priam,
in the chest, he was bearing torches to the ships;
and he fell with a crash. When Hektor saw his
cousin fall in the dust, beside the black ship, he
cried alo*ud : “Ye Trojans and Lyloiansf relax
not your efforts, in this press of battle, but rescue
the s6n of Klytios, lest the Achaians spoil him of
his armour.” As he spoke, he hurled his spear at
mighty Aias, missing hiirg but striking Lykophro/i,
the son. of Mastor, the companion of Aias, in
the head above the ear ; and ne fell headlong in
the dust. Then Aias, shuddering, called to
Teukros: “O my good Teukros, our faithful
comrade hath fallen, even the noble Lykophron,
whom we honoured like a father. Where *now
are thy deadly shafts, and the bow that Phoibos
Apollo gave thee ?.” *And Teukros ran up, with
his befit bow in his hand, and sent a shower of*
arrows at the Trojans ; one Struck Kleitos, the
son of,,Pisenor, in the back of the neck, as he was
driving’ into the thickest of the throng, to aid
Hektor and the Trojans. Teukroa aimed another
shaft against great Hektor himself.

If he had slain the mighty Hektor, the battle
at the ships^ftfculd have ended. But the All-wise
Zeus, who guarded Hektor, broke the string of
the bow ;* and the arrow swerved from its
destined course, and the bow fell from his hand*.
Trembling he spake to his brother: “ Aias* the
god hath broken the cord of my bow, which 1

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

I96

twisted this very morning.” * Aias made answer to
him : cc Lay aside now thy bow and arrows, and
take thy long spear and thy broad shield, and
fight, and r rouse the others.” And Teukros laid
his bow within the tent, and with aHvell-wrought
helmet on his head, and with his fourfold shield
and his spear, stood by the side of Aias.

But’ when Hektor saw the archery of’Teukros
marred, he cried aloud to his host : “ O Trojans
and Lykians, and Dardans, who love fighting at
close quarters ! ' quit yourselves now like men !
Gp on to the ships ! If ^any one be smitten, and
meeteth his doom, let him die. It is not unseemly
for a man to fall , fighting for his country and his
wife and children . And they will be safe, if qnly
the Achaians depart in their black ships.” So
spake he, and roused the spirit of them all.

And, on the other side, Aias heartened up his
followers : “ O shame on you, ye Argives!

Nothing is more certain than this—that we must
%11 perish, or save the ships! Or think ye,°that if
Hektor burneth our ships, we can go home by land ?
Ye hear, how Hektor is haranguirig his men, and
calling on them c not to dance, J but’ toT fight.’
Better were it e for us now to risk life or death,
than to be shut up by men who are worse than we
are! ” So spake the mighty Aias, and roused the
courage of his men. *

And Hektor slew Schedios, the leader of the
Phokisms ; and Aias slew Laodamas, the leader of
the Trojan infantry ; and Polydamas'slew Otos,
of Kyllene, leader of *the high-spirited Epeians.
And Meges, when he saw it, rushed on Poly-

XXI ANTILOCHOS AND MELANIPPOS 197

damas ; • but he stooped and avoided the spear,
for Apollo guarded him. Then Dolops, grandson
of King La6medon, was struck by Meges, who
broke off his horse -hafr crest ; and 'Menelaos,
coming up unobserved, smote him from bfehind,
in the shoulder; and the eager spear passed
through fc hi$ heart. They then began to strjp him
of his bronze armour ; but Hektor csflled out to
his kinsmen, chiding Melanippos most of all, and
said to him : § “ Art thou careless that thy kinsman
is slain ? See how they* are stripping Dolops of
his arms ! Come oh, .then, and fight man *to
man ! ” • So spake he ; and they all followed the
godlike hero. #

And Menelaos said to Antilochos : “No one
is younger and swifter of foot or stronger than
thou ; go forward, then, and smite a Trojan ! ”
Antilochos leapt out of the? chariot, and smote
Melanippos, the haughty son of Hiketaon, in the
•breast j and he fdl# with a crash, and darkness
veiled his eyes. Then Antilpchos sprang upon
him, like a hound upon a wounded fawn ; but
glorious Hektor marked him, and ran up to slay
him. * Antilochos, •brave warrior though he was,
dared not await Hektor’s onslaught; he trembled,
and ran, and narrowly escaped to his comrades.

The Troians threw themselves # upon the ships,
fierce as lioffs craving to eat raw flesh. It was by
the will pf Zeus ; for the Great Thunderer
excited them to the utmost pitch of fury* while
he relaxed # the courage of fhe Achaians. For his
purpose was firmly set on giving glory to Hektor,
even so that he^ might cast glazing torches into the

CH.

198 THE BOY’S ILIAD

ships; that so the unrighteous prayer of Thetis
might be fulfilled. Hektor now raged like Ares
brandishing his spear ; he foamed at the mouth,
and his eyes shone fiercely beneath his fearful
brow ; and the helmet on his head shook terribly.
Zeus helped him, alone against so many, and-gave
him high renown. He strove, with alf hi;s might,
to break tnrough the rank^ of the Achaians,
wherever he saw the thickest throng and, the
goodliest armour. But it was all in vain ; for his
embattled foes stood firm," as a great steep rock by
the hoary sea, which stanefeth unmoved against
the whistlirig winds and the loud-roaring waves.
And Hektor, hi* armour shining like fire, leapt
on the mass of the Achaians, as when the blast of
the wind roars against the .ship’s sail, and the
sailors tremble ; for they are very near to death.

And Hektor sle\fr Periphetes of Mykenai, the
son of Kopreus, who bare the messages from Eurys-
theus to the godlike Herakle? f but the son was a* 1
far better man than,his baser father ; skilled was he
in war, and among the first of the Mykenaians in
wisdom. But, as he stepped backward, die /.ripped
on the rim of his shield, and fell to the ground ;
and Hektor, seeing ,him fall, ran to him, and
transfixed his heart with a spear and killed him.
Hektor was now near the first line pf ships, and
their prows protected the Achaians; but the
Trojans rushed in after them. And the Argives
were forced to retire from the front ships ; but
t£iey remained, closely drawn up, before the tents,
and did not disperse through the camp ; for fear
and shame constrained them. And the Gerenian

XXI HEKTOR LAYS HOLD ON A SHIP 199

knight,* wise Nestor, besought each 1 man, by the
memory of his father and his mother, to behave
like a brave’ warrior, and to fear the contempt of
others. “ Remember,” he cried, “ yout wives and
children, and all * your goods; stand firrh, and
scorn to fly ! ”

But \t did not please brave Aias to stan<J. in the
place to which the other Achaians hid retreated.
He strode, backwards and forwards, on the decks
of the ships,'holding in his hand a heavy boarding-
pike, twenty-two cubits* long, foi* use at sea ; and
he kept calling upon the Danaoi to defend their
ships afld tents. ,

Nor did Hektor stay in the .close ranks of the
well-armed Trojans ; but, as a fiery eagle swoops,
down upon a flock, of geese, or cranes, or long-'
necked swans, so Hektor rushed straight on to a
black ship ; and Zeus, with Hhis mighty hand, kept
urging him on. Rushing to the front, Hektor
seized the stern of a fair ship, which had brought
Protesilaos to Tfoy, but wquld never bear him
back again to his own dear country. And round
this ship the Trojans arid Achaians fought on, no
longefr apart from*one another, but hand to hand,
with battle-axes, and swords, and double-pointed
spears. Hektor would not let go the stern of the
ship, but kjppt the ensign in hfs hand ; and he
shouted t# the Trojans: “ Briflg fire! and all
together raise the war-cry! for Zeus hath sent to
us a day worth all our other days—a day £or us to
capture tlfe ships, which cjme to Troy against the
will of Heaven, and have brought innumerable
woes upon us^! ”

200

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH. XXI

So spake ke, and the Trojdns rushed still more
fiercely upon the Argives. And even Aias no
longer withstood their charge, being dxdven back a
little by trhe darts,* for' he thought that now,
assuredly, he must die ; so he left the ’deck of the
well-balanced ship, and went to the long bench of
the rowers. There he stood on guard, and drove
off the Trojans who brought the unresting fire.
And he called on the Danabi, with a terrible
voice : “ O Comrades, ye servants of Ares ! quit
yourselves like men, and remember your impetuous
valpur ! Do ye think that there are many allies
to help us,-or some stronger wall, to protect us
from death? No city is nigh, with its lofty
towers, to defend us from the enemy ; no otfyer
<host to turn the tide of battle. We are fighting
in the plain of Troy, with our backs to the sea.
Therefore our only hope of safety is in battle, and
not in shrinking from the fight! ”

So spake the mighty Aias,^and went on with
his sharp spear killing or wounding every Troian
who brought blazing fire at the command of
Hektor. Twelve men did he wbund, at close
quarters, in fr,ont of the hollow $hip$\

. CHAPTER XXII

» *

• •

While these were fiercely fighting round the well-
built ‘ships, Patroklos was going to the tent of
Achilles, weeping, hot tears, like a*stream of dark
water pouring from d rpck, too steep even far
goats to* climb. And Achilles^ the swift of foot,
was grieved when he saw him, and said to him :
“ W # hy weepest thou, O Patroklos, like a poor
little infant girl, running at her mother’s side,
begging to be taken up ? and she clutches her
mother’s robe, and hinders lier going, and looks
up, with tears in her eyes, till her mother takes
her up. Hast thou ;ome evil tidings for me, or
for ^he* Myrmidon^, or hast thou alone some news'
from Phthia? Menoitios, thy father, I hope, is
still alive ; and 1 trust tfhat Peleus, my father, is
still living ’amdngsjt the Myrmidons $ for great
would be our sorrow, if they jvere cfead. ,,

To whom Patroklos, with heavy groans, re¬
plied : “ O Achilles, son of Peleift, mightiest of
the Achaiarr 1 warriors ! be not aitgry with me,
since such dire calamity hath fallen upon the
Achaians ; for the best of them are lying among
the ships, either killed or wounded. The brave*
Diomedes, the renowned Odysseus, and Agamem¬
non have all been wounded ; and Eurypylos is

201

202 THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

pierced by an arrow in the thigh, and thfe leeches
are all busy tending them. But thou, Peleides!
remainest obdurate and unforgiving ! May my
heart never nurse such deadly hatred as doth
thine! The noble Peleus was not thy father;
the silver-footed goddess Thetis was not thy
mother ; but the hoary sea and the' steep rock
bare thee. * But if thou drearest some evfl oracle,
or if thy goddess-mother hath sent thee, some
rpessage from Almighty Zeus, send me to the
war! and bid the Myrmidons follow me, that I*
nfay bring succour to the Danaoi! And give me
thine armour; andithen, perhaps, the Trojans may
mistake me for thee, and cease from the murderous
battle.” »

To him the swift-footed Achilles, greatly
mo%ed, replied : “ O Patroklos, fosterling of

Zeus! I know of lio oracle, nor hath my lady
mother told me anything, from Zeus ; but dire
4 grief came upon my heart, when first a man took
away my prize because he was mightier than I.
But let the past be past-—a man % cannot keep his
wrath for ever. I said, indeed, that 1 would not
lay aside m^ iyiger, till the wnr-cry and the fire
reached mine own hallow ships. But now--take
my famous armour on thy back, and lead the
Myrmidons, w'ho delight in war! ^The Trojans
no longer see my flashing helmet in the battle, or
quickly would they flee, and fill the 0 rivers with
jtheir blood. Now, it seemeth, not even the spear
of v Diomedes can ward, off ruin from "the Danaoi.
Not yet hath been heard the voice of Agamemnon,
son of Atreus, from .his hateful piouth, shouting

XXII ACHILLES ARiyiS PATROKLOS 203

destruction to the Trojans and their city ; but
here we hear the voice of Hektor, calling them
to destroy us. Now listen to me, Patroklos, and
obey my woi;ds, that thou mayest gain great honour
from the Danaoi; and then, perhaps, they may
also take from Atreides my beauteous maiden and
restore bef to me, with many costly gifts besides.
When‘thou hast driven the Trojans from our
ship^, do not thou then follow them, towards
Ilios ; but return to me, lest one of the deathless
Olympian godsj even # the Far-darting Apollo,
come against thee ; for he dearly loveth the

'“T-1 * • » > *

Irojans. $

While they spake with one another in Achilles’
tent, the fighting at the ships went on ; and Aias
was no longer able .to stay the onslaught of the
Trojans ; for their darts overcame him. Many
shafts struck his helmet, ringing about his head ;
and his left shoulder *was weary, holding up his
shields He was, ihdeed, worn out by his difficult
breathing, and the*sweat ran down his limbs ; yet
they could not make hirp give way.

Say no.w, X e Muses who dwell in Olympos !
how the first fire fell on the ships cjf fhe Achaians!
Hektor came on, and struck*the spear of Aias with 5
his sharp sword, and hewed the shaft of it asunder,
so that the bronze head of the spear was cut clean
away, and fell rattling to the ground, and the shaft
which he ,held in his hand was pointless. The
noble-hearted Aias shuddered, when he saw thi^
as a deed of the gods ; that so Loud-thundering
Zeus did utterly cut off his power in the battle,
and give victory to the* Trojans. He drew

204

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

back, out of the range of tfoe pitiless shower of
darts ; and the Trojans cast the unresting fire on
the ships, and the flames enveloped them.

Achillei, seeing it, smote his strong thighs, and
spake'* “Arise, Patroklos! put on my armour
quickly ! for I see the blaze of hostile fires. Up,
then! lest they burn the ships, and cut-off our
retreat ! ”

So spake he ; and Patroklos put on the divine
armour of the swift-footed son of Peleus : the
greaves with silver clasps, and then the daedal
starry breastplate, and the helmet with its terrible
nodding cfest of horse-hair ; and took up the
mighty shield, apd a strong spear ; but not that
huge and heavy Pelian spear, of the blameless
Aiakides, given by Poseidoji to Peleus, which
none but Achilles could wield. And Patroklos
bade the charioteer Automedon, whom he honoured
next to Achilles, to yoke the divine horses, Xanthos
and Balios, which ran swift,as the fleet winds;
the horses that Podarge the Harpy bare to ,,the
Zephyr, as she was grazing by the streams of
Okeanos. By their side he harnessed another, as
out-rigger, a mortal horse, the goodly Pedasos,
which Achilles had captured in the city of Eetion.

Meantime, Achilles himself went and armed the

Myrmidons thrbugh all the camp. T^hey gathered,
with fury in their hearts, like ravening Wolves when
they slay a stag and tear him to pieces ; and their
captains hastened around the noble comrade of
Achilles, who himself stood in their *midst and

urged them to war. Achilles had brought fifty
ships to Troy ; and in each sat fifty men upon

XXII ACHILLES & HIS MYRMIDONS 205

»

the benches ; he appointed five leaders to com¬
mand them, and he himself ruled over all. These
chiefs of divisions were Menestheus, son of the
river-god Sperchios and the lovely \Polydora ;
Eudoros, son of Polymele, the famous dAncer ;
Peisandros, the best spearman of the Myrmidons
after Patroklos ; the illustrious old knight, Phoinix ;
and Alltimedon, son of Laerkes. And Achilles,
having marshalled 1 the Myrmidons with their
leade'rs, uttered his strict commands : “ Myrmi¬
dons ! remembe^ the loud threats ye uttered against
the Trojans, when ye tve^e wroth with me and said:

‘ O merciless son of Peleus, thy mother must have
fed thee with gall, implacable as thou art, who
keepest thy comrades in their skips against their
will; let us go home^, then, since thou nursest such
evil wrath in thy heart.’ Thus did ye clamour
against me ; but now, the time for the battfe-cry
is come, which of old ye so dearly loved/’ So
,spake he, and roused their valour. And two men
in ^bright armour^ stood in front of all, even
Patroklos and Automedon, one in mind and heart,
to fight in the tfan of the fierce Myrmidons.

Then Achilles .went to his tent, and opened a
beautiful coffer, which the ^silver-footed goddess
Thetis had pl&ced in his ship ; he took from the
chest a rich ^veil-fashioned goblet 1 , from which no
man might* drink but himself, ahd from which
libations were poured to Zeus alone, and to no
other god! And when he had scoured it with
sulphur, a^d washed it in the stream of water’,
he filled it»with the ruddy wine. And standing
in the middle court, he poured out the wine as a

206

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

libation to Almighty Loud-thundering Z^us, and
prayed, looking up to Heaven :

u O Royal Pelasgian Zeus! who rulest over
wintry D<*dona, round which thy prophets, the
Selloi,* with unwashen feet, lie sleeping on the
bare ground! As thou didst aforetime hear me,
and gavest me great honour, and didst punish the
Achaians, eo now fulfil my wish! I send my
loved comrade, even Patroklos, to the war. Do
thou, O Far-voiced Zeus! grant him a speedy
victory, and a safe return.”

, And the Wise Counsellor, Zeus, heard him,
but granted him only a part of his desire. He
granted him that r Patroklos should drive the
Trojans from the ships ; but not that he should
return safe from the battle.

The Myrmidons, following the high-hearted
Patr&klos, proudly pushed upon the Trojans;
like wasps, by the wayside, which have been
teased by the boys in their childish sport, and^
Which come forth from their nests to defend their
offspring. So the Myrmidons poured forth from
their ships ; and a fresh' cry of ‘fighting arose ;
and Patroklgs shouted to his men r “ Ye Myrmi¬
dons, followers of Achilles! quit you like men,
and gain honour for your Chief, that the wide-
ruling Atreides* may know how blind of heart he
was when he dishonoured the bravest of all the
Achaians! ”

Thus he spoke; and the Myrmidon^, in a close
mass, fell with loud shouts upon the Trojans,
whdse hearts sank when they saw % the son of
Menoitios in Achilles’ bright armour, and they

XXII PATROKLOS SAVES THE SHIPS 207

wavered ; for they feared that Peleides, swift of
foot, was reconciled to Agamemnon; and each
man of them > looked about for a place to which
he might flee for safety. ^ ,

And Patroklos, standing by the ship of-Pro-
tesilaos, cast his spear into the thick of the Trojan
throng ; and it struck Pyraichmes, leader of the
Paionian "horsemen, in the shoulder ; and he fell,
with a groan. And- great fear of Patroklos fell
on the Paionians, when they saw him smite their
bravest leader. Then Pafroklos drove them from
the ships, and e’xting-uished the fire ; and the
Trojans .fled. Still, they were not yet utterly
routed, but some resisted and gave ground slowly.

But noble Hektor, though he* saw the change
in the tide of war, remained and strove to rescue
his comrades. Now, 'in passing the trench, many
horses broke the poles of thfir chariots or cars,
and left them behind. Patroklos, wherever he
saw the densest th/orfg of fugitives, dashed in
among ‘them and shattered the chariots, while he -
crushed the men beneath his'wheels. He was
fain to attack great Hektor, but Hektor’s swift
steeds b ore him away. Then Patrokflos, follow¬
ing up his pursuit'of the Trojans? in the plain,
kept rushing on them an<f staying them, not
suffering them to approach the city, but driving
them back towards the ships and the tents. He
smote many of their great Chiefs, namely, Pronoos
and Euryaios, Erymas, Amphoteros, Ephaltes,
Tlepolemos, Echios, Pyris, Ipheus, Enippos, and*-
Polymelos, son of Argeas;'all these he stretched
on the grain-giving Earth.

208

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

But wh£n the glorious Garpedon sa\% his un¬
girdled Lykians falling beneath the hand of the
son of Menoitios, he rebuked them, and said :
cc Shame on you, Lykiaos! whither do ye flee ?
Take courage, for I will meet tnis man, and
learn who this great conqueror is.” So spake he,
and leapt in full armour to the ground. And
Patroklos,* too, left his chariot. And they
rushed on each other with loud war-cries, like
two vultures with crooked claws and Curved
beaks, which fight, screeching, on some high and
craggy cliff.

But the crafty Son of Kronos, loud-thundering
Zeus, took pity on them, and spake to Hera :
“ Alas ! must then Sarpedon, the dearest to me of
mortal men, fall by the decree of Fate beneath the
hand of the son of Menoitios? I ponder in my
heart, whether to s&ve him alive from the mourn¬
ful war, and bear him to rich Lykia, or to let
him fall by the hand of Patroklos ? ” #

Then ox-eyed Hera answered him and said :
“ O dread Son of Kronos ! what words are these
which have passed the barrier of thy teeth ?
Wouldst thou, indeed, delivery man long doomed
by the Fates ( co hateful death ? Accomplish thy
purpose ; but the other gods will* not praise thee.
Nay, suffer hi/n to be slain by the Jjand of the son
of Menoitios < but if he be so dear to thee, then,
when his soul has left his body, let Death and his
Brother, Sleep, bear him away to broad Lykia,
where his kinsmen will bury him, ami raise over
him a mound and a funeral column.”, Thus spoke
the ox-eyed Queen ; and the great Father of Gods

XXII PATROKLOS SLAYS SARPEDON 209

I

and Men assented ; Put he shed a bl< 3 od-red rain
upon the earth, in honour of his dear son, about
to die.

And when they had ctmie near to o^ another,
Patroklos smote the famous Thrasymelos, the'com-
panion of Sarpedon, and relaxed his limbs in death.
And Sarpedon hurled his spear at Patroklos ; but
it missed him, and smote the brave horse Pedasos,
on the shoulder; and he shrieked as he gave up
the ghost. Then the immortal horses, Xanthos
and Balios, reare 4 ; and the strong yoke creaked,
and the reins were taVigled, for their side hoi^e
had fallen in the dust. But the charioteer Auto-
medon cut adrift the good horse Pedasos, and the
others righted themselves, and pufled at the traces.
And, again, Sarpedon aimed at Patroklos, and
missed him again. He, in his turn, hurled a
javelin, which struck the mighty Sarpedon irf the
diaphragm, below the throbbing heart. And he
Jell, like an oak or ^silver poplar or a tall pine-
tre£ f and lay moanftig, before his horses, clutching'
the bloody ground.

As a bull, sMn by a Mon, dies groaning beneath
its claws, so did th$ Lykian warrior ; but he called
to his dear comrade : “ I^ear Glaukos, noble

warrior ! now ‘must thou show thyself a sturdy
spearman. Fjrst, urge on the bra^e leaders of the
Lykians to fight for Sarpedon ; and do thou fight
for me with thy sword. It would be a dire dis¬
grace to thee, for ever, if the Achaians spoil* me of
my armou#. Stand firm, then, and urge on all*
our men ! ”# And while fie yet spake, darkfness
veiled his eyes. Patroklos set foot on his breast,

'1 •

CH.

210 THE BOY’S ILIAD

#

and drew out his spear and < the soul of Sarpedon
together.

And Glaukos heard the dying«voice of his
noble Chijef, with deadly sorrow that he had no
power to succour him, for his own arm was
wounded by an arrow from the bow of the great
archer Teukros. And he prayed, in his agony, to
the Far-Darter, Apollo: “ Hear me, O King,
thou who hearest the afflicted ! Save me, whether
thou art in wealthy Lykia, or in cacred Troy !
My arm is pierced, with sore pains from this
grievous wound, and I cannot wield my spear, nor
fight against this foe. And the noble son of Zeus
lieth dead ; yet may his Almighty Father give
succour to his child.”

And Phoibos Apollo heard the prayer of
Glaukos. and straightway soothed his bitter pangs,
and f staunched the #> dark blood, and gave him
courage. And Glaukos then spake to Hektor:
“Surely, thou art little mindful of the noble allies*
f who came from afar to help^thee, leaving their
country and their kindred ! Sarpedon, the noblest
of the Lykians, hath fallen ; but* thou carest not
for him. $ut now, my friends, stand near, with
wrath filling your hearts, lest the Myrmidons
strip him of his armour, and dishonour the dead.”
So spake he, and intolerable grief was in the hearts
of the Trojans <; for Sarpedon, stranger as he was,
had been a true bulwark of defence for their city.
Then Hektor led them straight against the Danaoi,
♦and they followed eagerly.

The fierce Patroklds, on the other side, urged
on the Achaians. He spake first to the two

XXII MIGHTY DEEDS OF PATROKLOS 211

Aiantee, and said : Brave men as ye have always
been ! now show yourselves braver still! The man
who first mounted the great wall of the Achaians,
even glorious Sarpedoif, hath fallen beneath my
spear. Come, let us strip him of his armour, and
do dishonour to his body/’ So spake he ; and
both sides strengthened their forces—the Trojans
and Lykians, the Myrmidons and Achaians—and
a deadly contest arose. First, the Trojans drave
back the Achaians ; for goodly Epigeus, son of
the noble Agamies, by no means* the worst of *the
Myrmidons, was slai'n.^ As he seized hold o£ the
dead Sarpedon’s foot, the famous Hektor smote
him on the head with a huge stone, and he fell ;
aijd Death, that quencheth the spirit of all men 4
covered him. Sore grieved for his dear com¬
panion, Patroklos rushed to the front, like a swift
falcon, that scattereth th® daws and starlings.
And great Hektor and the foremost fighters drew
back, a long javelin's cast; and the Achaians
followed. Glauk^os, the leader of the Lykiarfs,
first turned his face to the foe, and slew Bathykles,
son of the wealthy Chalkon, the greatest of the
Myrmidons. * Ayd sorrow fell upont the Achaians,
when they saw him fall, s<j good*a man ; but thf
Trojans rejoifced. And they all thronged round
him ; and neither side forgot their valour. Then
Meriones smote the bold warrior «Laogonos, son of
Onetor, priest of Idaian Zeus, between the jaw and
the left ear ; and hateful darkness veiled Ijis eyes.*
Then*Aineias hurled his spear at Meriones,
hoping t® wound him*below his shield' but
Meriones was on the watch, and he stooped, and

212

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

the long javdin flew over hiih, and fell quivering
into the ground ; for mighty Ares took its strength
away. Aineias was wroth, and called aloud to
him : “ Muriones ! if my* spear had struck thee,
quickly would I have stopped thy dancing, nimble
dancer though thou art.” And Meriones answered
him : “ O Aineias ! think not that t*hou canst
quell the spirit of every man who cometh against
thee ; for thou too art mortal; and if I should
cast at thee with my sharp bronze, &>on wouldst
th6u, in spite of‘all thy valour, gi^ve glory to me,
an<i go down to Hades. 7 ’ ‘But the wise son of
Menoitios rebuked him sharply, saying: “O
Friend ! it is not taunting words that will drive
.the Trojans from the dead man ; but bold deed*s !
‘Hands are for battle ; words for the council.
Therefore it beseemeth us not to wrangle, but to
fight.’*

Again the clash of armour and weapons was
heard, like the din of the wooc^ Gutters’ axes in the
glades of a wooded hill. And* no one, however
keen his eyes, could have recognised the body of
godlike Sarpedon, all coveted as it’was with darts
and blood and dust. Men crpwcfed around it,
like the buzzing flies, yi spring, about the foaming
milk-pail. •*

Now Zeus, With his all-seeing e){es, was ever
watching the battle, and pondering in his mind,
whether glorious Hektor should forthwith slay
•Patroklps, over the body of Sarpedon, and strip
htm of his armour; or whether he should let
more* men fall. And it seemed to him good to
let the noble companion of Achilles, even great

XXII SARPEDON BORNE AWAY 213

Patroklos, drive the Trojans to the city with great
slaughter. So he put a timid heart into Hektor,
who leaped into his chariot and fled ; and he made
the Trojans also flee, fof he knew the turn in the
sacred scales of Zeus. And the strong Lykians,
too, fled when they saw their great King lying in
the heap < 3 f dead*. Then the Achaians spoiled the
body of Sarpedon of his bright armour; and
Patroklos gave it to his comrades, to carry it to
the hollow ships.

But the Cloud - Gatherer, Almighty Zeus,
ordered Apollo to have the body of godlike
Sarpedon washed in the stream, anointed with
ambrosia, and clothed in imperishable garments ;
ai*d then to entrust it to Sleep and his Brother;
Death, who should bear it away to wealthy Lykia.

Then Patroklos, in his folly, unmindful of the
command of Achilles, cried to the charioteer Auto-
medon, and bade hi,m urge his horses after the
flying Trojans. And Zeus, whose wit is stronger
than the wit of man, inflamed the heart of
Patroklos. Whom, then, first did he slay ?
Andrestos, and Autonoos, and Echeklos, and
Perimos, and Epistor, Melanippos, Erasos, Moulios,
and Pylartes; but the others fled, and avoided
black death. Then would the Achaians have
taken the lofty-gated city of sacred Troy, by the
hands of the furiously raging son of Menoitios ;
but Apollo stood upon the strong wall, with
hostile thoughts against him. Thrice did Patrol
klos clirrfb up the corner of the high wall; and
thrice did "the Far-Darter hurl him back, ancf smite
his shining shield. And, when he rushed on for

CH.

214 THE BOY;S ILIAD

the fourth time, Apollo cried to him, with* a ter¬
rible voice : “ Back, O Heaven-born Chief! It is
not fated that the city of the warlike Trojans
should fall By thy hand ; no, nor even Jiy the hand
of Achilles, a man far mightier than thou.’’ And
Patroklos drew back, fearing the wrath of the Far-
Darter. 4 ,

Hektor, meanwhile, stood inside the Skaian
Gate, and pondered whether to drive again ;nto
the din of battle, or call his forces back to the city
waft. And, as he mused/ King Apollo, son of
Zeu*> the Thunderer, stood -beside him in the like¬
ness of Asios, a str<jng, brave man, brother of
Queen Hekabe (Hecuba), and spake to Hektor,
and said : u Hektor, why shrinkest thou from the
battle ? It doth not beseem, thee, the greatest
chief pf all the Trojans. Would that I were
stronger than thou ! ftien wouldst thou quickly
rue thy slackness. Turn now thy horses and go
against Patroklos, if perhaps tfroli mayest conquer
him, and Apollo give thee the honour ! ” Then
famous Hektor bade Kebriones, his charioteer,
drive his horses back again to the ^battle. And
Apollo struck the hearts of the Argives with panic
fear, and gave much glory to the Trojans. Hektor
slew none of the other Argives, but urged his
chariot straight towards Patroklos. * And the
mighty son of Menoitios leapt from his chariot,
with a spear in his left hand and a jagged § stone in
fiis right* He hurled the stone, not in vain ; for
it struck Kebriones, son qf Priam, on the forehead,
as he was guiding the horses of Hektor.' And as
a diver from a ship falls into the s^a, Kebriones

XXII

DEATH OF PATROKLOS 215

fell off the car to the ground ; so that Patroklos
mocked him and said : “ How well he diveth! ”
Then Patroklos rushed, like a lion, on the body
of Kebriones. On the bther side, H^ktor left
his shining chariot; and the twain fought furibusly
over the body, like lions over a slaughtered stag.

Grea^Htktor had seized the body of Kebriones
by the head, and would not let it go, while Patro¬
klos grasped the dead man by the foot; and the
Trojans and n the Danaoi joined in fierce battle.
As when the strong East and South Winds strive
against each other, in the.woods, in some mountrin
glen, widh a wondrous din of clashing boughs and
breaking branches, so did they,; and with no
thought of ruinous flight. So long as the sun was
high in the heaven, tfie darts flew fast to and fro,
and many fell on either side. But when the sun
began to sink, and the time was come for the
husbandman to loosen his oxen, then (contrary to
Fate) the Achaians were the stronger, and drew
Kebriones out of r£nge of the^darts, and stripped*
him of his armour. Three times Patroklos, peer of
Ares, with a terrible cry, charged into the press
of the Trojans, and each time slew nine men.
But when he rushed on theffourtK time, then his ;
end was near. For then Phoibos Apollo met
him in awful wise.

Apollo was shrouded in a thick rhist, and Patro¬
klos knew not of his coming. Then the Far-
Darter dealt a downward blow upon his back and
shoulders, and dashed the helmet from his head, 1
and it rolled clattering beneath the horses’ ’feet.
That was the f very helmet which had once pro-

216 THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

tected the Head and beautiful face of a* godlike
man, even Achilles; and Zeus now gave it to
Hektor to wear—but not for long ! And the
long, ponderous spear -*of Patroklos was also
shattered and fell from his hand ; and the tas-
selled shield dropped from his shoulders to the
ground. And Phoibos Apollo loosed* his corslet
and relaxed his limbs, and darkened his'heart;
and Patroklos stood aghast.

The Dardanian Euphorbos, son ‘•of Panthofls,
Who excelled all others of his age in casting the
spear and in horsemanship', and in fleetness of
foot, camerlose behind Patroklos, and smote him
in the back with his sharp lance ; then he drew back
amongst his comrades, nor dared to meet the o^set
of Patroklos, all unarmed as he was. But Patro¬
klos, wounded by the god, and by the spear of
Euphorbos, retreated* to avoid death, towards the
ranks of his friends. Then^ Hektor, when he saw
Patroklos retiring wounded frpm the battle, thrust
his spear through the bottom 7 of his belly, and
drove it right through his body.

As when a lion has mastered* a strong boar,
when they come together to a l]ttle*well oma hill,
,and both desire to drink, so the great son of
Priam, after he had slain many of the Achaians,
took away the Pfe of the brave son of Menoitios ;
and triumphed 7 over him with boastful words :
“ Patroklos ! thou thoughtest in thy mind to sack
my city, and to carry off our women, as slaves, in
fhy swift ships ! Vain fool! for in defence of
then! the fleet steeds of Hektor bore 'him to the
fight! And I, who excel all other Trojans in

XXII PATTROKLOS’ DYING WORDS 217

battle, ward off from them the dark day of doom.
But thee shall the vultures devour. O miserable
man! Achilles himself could ’ not save thee ; he
who forbade^thee to return to the swift'ships until
thou hadst ‘cloven the bloody tunic of'man¬
slaying Hektor.’ Thus he spake to thee, and
persuaded thy foolish heart.”

Then the brave knight, Patroklos, answered with
his dying voice : “ O Hektor ! well mayest thou
boast; for Zeus, and King Apollo of the Silver
Bow, have given thee the victory. But if twenty
men like thee had met»me, they all had bit the
dust beneath my conquering spear. * And now
Fate, and Apollo, and of men, ,Euphorbos, have
slain me ; and thou wert but the third in my
defeat.”

So spake he, with his dying breath; anji his
soul, leaving his body, weht down to Hades,
sorrowing for its doom, leaving youth and strength
behind him.

CHAPTER XXIII

The warlike Menelaos, the golden-haired son of
Atreus, knew of the slaying of Patroklos. And he
went through the Achaians,' clad in his bright bronze
arrhour, and stood astride over his body, as the
mother cow stands over her first calf; and 1 he held
up his mighty shield and his strong spear before
him, eager to slay.

Nor was Euphorbos, son cf Panthofts, unmind¬
ful of the slain Patroklos. He came and stood by
Menelaos, dear to Ares, and spake to him winged
words : “ O Menelaos, fosterling of Zeus, give
place, and leave the body, and 4 give up the bloody
spoils ; for I was the first of all the Trojans and
allies that struck Patroklos ; therefore leave me to
reap this precious glory, lest I smite thee with my
spear, and take away thy life.” '

And golden-haired Menelaos, in great wrath,
replied : “ O Father Zeus ! how evil a thing is
this outrageous boasting ! For no pard, no lion,
no fierce wild boar rageth with such fury as these
proud sons of the noble spearman PanthoOs. Thy
spirit will I quench, if thou darest to meet my
onset. But I bid thee go back to thy friends, lest
it be worse for thee.” %

Euphorbos consented not, but hurled his
< 218

ch. xxm MpNELAOS fy EUPHORBOS 219

t . * >

great spear and 'struck the shield of Menelaos ;

but it passed not through, and the point was bent.
Then Atreus’ son, having prayed to Zeus, cast a
spear, in hi?% turn, and pierced the ,# neck; of
Euphorbos, who fell prostrate to the ground ; and
loudly his armour rang around him. And his
hair, beautiful as that of the Graces, his bright
tresses, bound with silver and gold, were all
bedabbled with blood. Like the fair vigorous
sapling of an olive tree, which a man rears in ar\
open space full of gushing springs : the breezes
shake it, yet it putteth forth its white blossoms’;
and then, suddenly, a furious .hurricane tears it
from its bed, and lays it level with the field ; so
the good spearman Euphorbos fell, slain by the
son of Atreus.

Then would Menelaos have carried off the
splendid spoils of the son of PanthoSs, had not
Phoibos Apollo roused the noble Hektor, peer of
fliurderous Ares, in th'£ semblance of Mentes, ruler
of tlie Kikones; ana Mentes cried aloud to him,
and said, “ Hector ! why dost thou seek the
unattainable — eyen the horses of wise Aiakides,
which no mortal man can drive butpnly Achilles,
the son of a deathless mother? And now the
warlike Menelaos hath laid low thejbravest of the
Trojans and checked his impetuous onset.”

And dire grief clouded the great heart of
noble Hektor, when he saw Euphorbos lying
in his blood, and Menelaos stripping off his
splendid arniour. And he »rushed to the front,
with a roar like that of the quenchless flame of
Hephaistos.

220

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

And the son of Atreus, when he heard the cry,
was sorely troubled, and communed with his
mighty heart: “Woe is me, if I leave the
beautiful T arms, I fear the Danaoi will be angry
with me ; but can I, for my honour’s sake, do
battle here, alone, against Hektor of the glancing
helm, t and all the Trojans ? Birt why do T ponder ?
If a man would fight with another, whom the gods
favour, then great woe overwhelms him. ^ut if I
could find great Aias of the loud war-cry, then
would we two be mindful of ou? valour ; nay, we
Would fight against Heaven itself, if we could but
bring to Achilles,.the great son of Peleus, the
body of his friend ! ”

While he thus debated in his mind, Hrfctor
came on leading the Trojan- battalions ; so Mene-
lao$ retreated, leaving the dead body of Patroklos.
But every now and then he turned and faced the
pursuing Trojans. And^when he reached the
t tents of his companions, he* searched eagerly fof
the mighty son o f Telamon; and he soon^aw
him, on the left of the .whole army, rousing his
disheartened comrades, whom Phoibos Apollo had
filled with fear. And great Atreides ran* to him
and said : “ Follow *nie, dear Aias! let us hasten
to the dead Patroklos, that we may, at least,
convey his naked body to Achilles, though Hektor
holds his armour.”

And the heart of great Aias w,as quickly
roused ; and he went through the front rank of
the, Achaians, with the golden-haired Menelaos by
his side. Hektor, meanwhile, having spoiled Pat¬
roklos of the divine, armour, was dragging him

xxiii GLAUKOS AND HEKTOR 221

off, that he might sever his head from his body,
and give his carcase to the dogs.

But Aias tame on, holding up his mighty
shield like a tower. Anc> when Hektor saw him
near, he retreated among his comrades, and leapt
into his chariot; but the divine armour he gave to
the Trojansj to bear to the city. And Aias held
his mighty shield over the dead, and stood like a
lion before his whelps ;• so stood the great Aias
over the fallen'hero ; and Menelaos, full of sorrow,
stood beside him. %

Then Glaukos, the Lykian Chief, looked cti
Hektor, ‘and thus upbraided him with bitter
words : “ O Hektor! fairest in form, but slack in
battle ! surely without good reason thou art held
in the highest honour—ever inclined as thou art
to flee ! Consider how thou mayest save the city
with thy Trojans alone. Ft)r if they will be
advised by me, not one of the Lykians will go
forth again to fight the Danaoi; since it profiteth
-ue not at all to fight unceasingly. Hard-hearted
as thou art! who didst leave the noble Sarpedon,
thine own guest-friend, a prey to the Argives,
though he had so often served both thee and
thy city! yet him thou didst not' dare to save
from the birds and dogs ! Thou dost not dare
look great Aias in the face, since he is thy better
far! ”

Then Hektor of the shining helm looked at
him with a scowl, and answered: “ Glaukos !> how
is it that a good man, like thee, can speak such
intemperate words? I thought that thou wert
wise above all the dwellers in fertile Lykia ; but

222

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

now I scorii thy taunt—that I dare lot face great
Aias! I have no fear ; but the mind of Zeus
ruleth over all, and he overaweth even the bravest.
Come hither, and behold my work ; and judge
whether I am minded this day 1 to play the
coward ! ”

Thus saying, he shouted aloud to his men :
“ Trojans, Lykians, and Dardanians! quit you
like brave men, remembering your impetuous
valour; while I put on the divine armour of
Achilles, which I took from brave Patroklos.”
Then godlike Hektor ran swiftly to his comrades,
who were bearing away the armour of the son of
Peleus ; and he changed his own armour for that
which he had taken from Patroklos.

But when Zeus, the great Cloud-Gatherer, saw
it, he shook his ambrosial head, and spake to his
own soul : <c Ah, wretched man ! little thinkest
thou that death is now so near thee, but hast
donned the glorious armour of a peerless hero,
before whom all others flee. I will crown /hec
now with great glory ; but never shalt thou bear
the splendid spoils, Which thou hast stripped
from the .body of Patroklo§, to thy dear wife
Andromache/’

The armour fitted Hektor and Ares, the
terrible God df War, filled his lin\bs with mighty
strength, as he strode to his noble allies, and spake :
“ Listen, my countless allies, who live around
sacre^d Troy! When I gathered yoif from your
cities, it was that ye might guards the Trojan
dames and their little ones from the Achaians.
Now then, let us, all together, charge the foe, and

XXIII AIAS BEGINS TO DESPAIR 223

live or (Jie-Afor thest* are the chances*of mournful
war! ” *

They heard, and charged,the Danaoi with all
their force, hoping to drag the corpse of Patroklos
from the soil of Telamon; but it was a vain hope ;
for many fell, dying, around the body of the hero,
the companion and friend of noble Achilles.

AnoPAias spake to Menelaos of the loUd war-
cry: “ Dear son of Atreus! I no longer hope
that 'we twain shall ever return to our homes.
And I am not so much concerned for the body*of
Patroklos, which soon will feed the dogs ^d
birds, as for thy life and mine. Great Hektor,
like a storm-cloud, cvershadoweth all; and death
stareth us in the face. Nevertheless, do thou call
on the best of the Argives to fight.” Menelaos
heard him, and went forward, shouting to the
Danaoi who followed him ; and he was joindd by
Aias, the son of O'ileus, and by Idomeneus and
Meriones. . # *

^ 'The Trojans came on in close array, and god¬
like Hektor led them; and*as when the ocean
wave roareth against the? stream at the mouth of a
Zeus-born river, and the lofty hills v re-echo the
bellowing of the salt sea upop the beach, so terrible^
was the cry with which the Trojans charged. But
the Argives, undismayed, surrounded the slain son
of Menoitios with their shields, •* like a wall of
bronze. At first, indeed, the Trojans drave off
the Argivfcs, who shrank back in fear and left the
corpse. T^he Trojans did not wait to slay theif*
foes, but stnove to carry off the noble dead. v But
soon great Aias, foremost of the Achaians after

224

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

Achilles, rallied them again, and himself went
forward through the front ranks ; and like a fierce
wild boar, which istandeth at bay before the
strong men and the dog?, in the mountain glades,
so did the mighty son of Telamon scatter the
Trojan battalions.

HippothoOs, the renowned ,son of Pelasgian
Lethos, had fastened a thong round the ahkle of
Patroklos, and was dragging him through the
battle. But the son of Telamon s&w him* and
sprang upon him, and struck him^on his helmet of
brpnze ; and the brains anp. blood gushed out from
his ghastly wound. And he dropped the foot of
the great-hearted Patroklos, and fell upon the
corpse, far from fiis home in fruitful Larissa. #

Hektor, in turn, hurled his strong spear at
Aias ; but he saw it coming, and just escaped it.
But the swift spear struck Schedios, son of Iphitos,
the best of the Phokians, jn the middle of the
collar-bone ; and he fell, his iymour rattling upon
Tiim. #

Then would the Trojans, in their weakness,
have been driven back to sacred Ilios, had not
Apollo himcelf addressed Aitjeias, standing by
him in the foi*m of Periphas the herald, a friend
of Aineias : u Aineias, how couldst thou save
the well-built city of Ilios against the will of the
gods ? But ntfw great Zeus is inclined to give
us the victory thou art sorely terrified, and
fighte^t not.” And Aineias knew the vbice of the
Archer God, and spake to Hektor: cc Hektor,
and # ye, great Chiefs of the Allies! ' foul shame
were it to us if, seized by panic fears, we were

xxiii FIG^iT FOR PATROKLOS’ BODY 225

»

driven back^to Ilios by the warlike Achaians!
And thus saith a god, who standeth near me :
that Zeus, thfc sublimest Counsellor, is our Helper
in the fight J Let them* not, at any ./ate, easily
carry the dead Patroklos to the ships! ”

Then the Trojans again rallied, and fiercely
charged^ the Danaoi, who guarded the body of
Patroklos ; yet they brake not through tlhe wall
of bronze shields, which the Danaoi formed round
the greaf corhrade of Achilles. They fought like
flames of fire ; arid thou wouldst not have thought
that there was any sun or moon ; for a dark cloud
enveloped the Chiefs who stood round the body of
Patroklos. But the other Trojans and Achaians
fought in sunshine and clear air.

Thus, all day long, the fearful strife continued ;
and in their grievous toil, the sweat bedewed
their limbs and eyes, as thtey fought round the
body of the faithful companion of the swift-footed
Aiakides. >•

CHAPTER XXIV

Meanwhile, the noble Achilles knew nothing of
the death of his dear comrade ; the fight was
ratging far away, under the walls of Troy. He
never deemed that Patroklos was dead, but that he
would come safely back again, after he had reached
the gates. *

The fight still went on unceasingly around the
dead, and the Achaians spake thus to one another:
“ Dear Friends, it would be a shame for us to go
back’ to our ships without Patroklos ; rather let
the black earth swallow us ” ; and the Trojans, on
their side, said to each other*: “Friends, though
we should all be slain, let none go back from the
battle.’ ’

The immortal horses ot Aiakides were standing
apart from the battle ; and they were weeping,
jsince they learrit that their charioteer Patroklos
had been slain by the mighty Hektor. And
whether Autoriledon, son of Disreus, lashed
them with the’ whip or gently chid them, yet
would they not return to the ships, nor to the
battle. They stood immovable as a funeral column,
ind incessantly wept hot tears, in their grievous
sorrow for the loss of Patroklos ; and 'their ample
manes streamed to the ground, all soiled with

, 226

ch. xxiv THE WEEPING HORSES 227

dust. And y£eus, the Son of Kronos, saw them
and had pity on them. ‘ He shook his head and
spake: “Ah, hapless steeds'! why did we give
you to Kin^ Peleus, a m*ere mortal—yi>u that are
ever young and deathless? Was it that ye too
might have grief, among wretched mortals? for
of all creatures that breathe and creep upon the
earth, there is none more pitiable than man. But
I will, not suffer Hektor to drive you and the well-
built chariot. I will strengthen your knees apd
hearts, that ye may carfy Automedon in safety to
the ships.” * •

So s*pake the Loud-Thunderer, and poured
fresh vigour into the hearts or the weeping horses;
and they shook the dust from their rich manes,*
and dashed through the ranks of Trojans and
Achaians. Automedon fought from the car and
like a vulture amid wild geese, he now flew past
the Trojans, now turned on them and pursued
them., But he couM not stay them ; for, being
afone, he could not at the same time both drive
and fight. At last, he, saw a friend, even Alki-
medon, son of Laerkes, who came behind the
chariot, and spake to him : “ Aytoftiedon, what
god hath takeji away thy Wits, that thou fightesP
alone, in the front rank of tjie Achaians?”
Automedon aAswered him : “ Who but Patroklos,
a peer of the deathless gods, can skilfully guide
the immoftal horses of great Achilles? But do
thou take the shining reins, and I will gefr dowrj
from the chariot and fight.i’ #

Then Alkimedon mounted the car, and Auto¬
medon leapt down. But glorious Hektor marked

228 THE BOY’S ILIAD > ch.

. . ‘ C . . /

them, and said to Aineias: “ Aineias,/great Coun¬
sellor of the mailed Dardans! I see the immortal
steeds of the swift-fboted Aiakides on the battle¬
field, with 4 unskilled drivers. Therefore, if thou
art willing to help me, I think that I might take
them, since they would not stand up against us
twain.”. And the brave son of Anchises and
Aphrodite consented ; and they went straight on,
covering their shoulders with their shields o^ ox¬
hide. And Chromios and godlike Aretos went
with them, in hopes to sidy the Achaian warriors,
and to carry off the divine horses. Foolish men !
for not witnout bloodshed were these to be taken
from Automedom

And he prayed to the Great Father of Gods
and Men, Almighty Zeus ; .and straightway his
heart; was filled with strength and valour. And
he said to Alkimedon 0 ; “ Do thou hold the horses
close to me, so that I may f tel their breath upon
my back. For I see that Hektor will not cease to
rage, till he hath slain us, and mounted the car
Achilles. For he is minded either to spread terror
among the Achaians, or to fall himself.”

And then he called to the twain Aiant^S, and
great Menelaos : “ Ye Chiefs of the Argive host!
leave the corpse of Patroklos for others to defend;
but come and save us, who are still rflive, from the
doom of death ; for I see the bravest warriors of
the Trojans, Hektor and Aineias, bearing down
ypon us! These things lie, indeed, upon the
knee? of the gods ; yet X will throw my : spear ! ”

He said, and hurled his long-shafted spear,
which struck the round* shield of A*etos ; and the

XXIV MENELAOS ENCOURAGED 229

I

sharp tyonre point nvent right through his belt
and pierced his belly ; and brave Aretos, like an
ox smitten behind the horns, ,which leaps forward
and then falls, sprang \\p and then fejl upon his
back. Theh Hektor hurled his bright spear at
Automedon ; but he saw it coming, and stooping,
avoided it. Then would they have fought hand
to hand®, with their swords ; but the twain'Aiantes
came through the ranks, at the call of Automedon,
and parted them. And before them, even Hektor,
and Airieias, and Chroyiios had to give way ; *so
they left Aretos'there to die.

And, again, round * the corpse of Patroklos
raged the cruel conflict, diruful and fraught with
sorrow. Then Athene descended from Heaven^
like unto the many-hued rainbow, which Zeus
spreadeth in the sky as a sign to mortals. She
went first to Menelaos, in the likeness of Phtfinix,
and said to him : u Menelaos ! it will be a shame
and reproach to the<?, if the dogs of Troy shall
tear the faithful friend of haughty Achilles. Stand
firm, then, and urge on all th£ others! ”

And Menelaos answered her, and said : “ O
Phoinix, aged* warrior of the times ,of old! may
Athene give me* courage # to stand against thq
shower of darts! But Hektor rageth like fire ;
and ceaseth yot from slaying ; and Zeus giveth
him great honour.'’ »

Athene, the fierce-eyed goddess, was glad that
he addressed her first of all the gods; and she<
strengthened his knees and shoulders. He stood
over the body of Patroklos, wielding his bright
spelr. Apollo, on the other hand, came down in

230

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

the shape of Asios, and said to'Hektor : “ Hektor!
no longer will any of the Achaians fear thee, since
thou shrinkest from ^vlenelaos, heretofore a warrior
of small re,nown.” He spake ; but the heart of
Hektor was overshadowed with grief: And the
Son of Kronos, on high, thundered mightily, and
covered the field with a dark mist, and the great
earth trembled.

Then first Idomeneus and Hektor hurled their
spears at one another. Both missed ; but the
spear of Hektor struck Koiranos, a fellow-warrior
of ( Meriones, between the jaw and' ear ; and Ido¬
meneus dreve back to the hollow ship, for fear
took possession of hL soul.

Now high-spirited Aias and Menelaos saw
that Zeus had given victory to the Trojans, m
their turn ; and great Aias was the first to speak
of it. “ Alas ! ” said be, “ even a fool can see that
Father Zeus is helping the Trojans ! Either, then,
let us contrive some plan forcarrying off the dead
Fatroklos, or ourselves go back, to gladdeTi our^
friends, who are in deadly fear that the fury
of man-slaying Hektor will come upon them,
and that he will fall upon the ships. And let
<>ome messenger go quickly to the son of Peleus,
with the mournful tidings that his dear friend
is slain! O Father Zeus! free us, I beseech
thee, from this dark cloud, and give clear sight
to our eyes! Slay us rather in the Light! ir it
be thy will that we should die ! ”

* So spake great Aias ; and the Father of Gods
and Men was sorry to see him weep, and he dis¬
persed the mist, and the sun shone forth. Then

XXIV MESSAGE TO ACHILLES 231

Aias sp^ke to Mei»elaos of the loud war-cry :
“Look around for Antilochos, the son of great¬
hearted Nestpr ; and send him to Achilles with
the woeful tidings.” ,

Then M<*nelaos departed, looking around him
with the piercing sight of an eagle, which hath the
keenest vision of all the birds of heaven ; even so
Menelaos, beloved of Zeus, glanced eyery’way to
see, if he might, the son of wise Nestor; and he
saw him on the left of the battle, rousing his com¬
rades to'the fight. The golden-haired Menelaos
drew near him a'nd said : “ Antilochos, come and
learn th^ woeful news! Slain is Patroklos, the dearest
comrade of Achilles, the beat of the Achaians!
Great grief hath fallen upon th b Danaoi. Run,
then, to the ships; and tell Achilles, if perhaps he
will come and rescue’the naked body ; for Hektor
holdeth his divine armour.” « *

So spake he ; Antilochos was struck with horror
by his words, and for^. time he could not speak ;
his eyes were filled.with tears, and his manly voico
was choked. But yet he hastened to fulfil the
bidding of Menelaos, aAd ’set off running to the
ships. t * #

And he came, weeping bitterly, to the son of
Peleus, with his mournful tale, while Menelaos
went back and stood over the body of Patroklos,
with the twain Aiantes, and told them : “ I have
sent Antilochos to swift-footed Achilles, but I do
not expeot that he will come to aid us ; for he
cannot fight the men of Troy without his ahnourf
however grfcat his wrath stgainst Hektor.” *And
the Telamonian Aias answered him: “Well hast

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH. XXIV

232

thou spoken, O illustrious *Menelaos! r But do
thou and Meriones lift the corpse on to your
shoulders, and bear it out of the battle.” So did
they ; and the Trojans yelled, when they saw them
carrying off the dead ; and they charged, like
hounds that run before the hunters pursuing a
wounded boar ; even so, for a while, the Trojans
rushed on, yvith swords and double-headed spears.
But as the hounds, when the boar turns upon them,
fall back in terror, so when the twain Aiantes
turned and faced them, the Trojans grew pale with
fear, and not one of them * was bold enough to
fight for the corpse, with which, meantime, the
twain heroes were <staggering along under the
heavy burthen. ' Like two strong mules, which
at the shaft, dragging some huge ship-timber down
a rugged path, so they struggled on, with toil and
sweat, bearing the corpse upon their shoulders.
And behind them, the twain Aiantes stemmed the
rush of the Trojan warriors', as a thickly wooded
range of hills, stretching across 3. plain, keeps back
the flood of mighty livers.

CHAPTER XXV

While the others were still fighting for the body
of Patroklos, Antilochos came to Achilles, and
found him, in front of the high-beaked ships,
brooding over pkst events. He communed thus
with his, mighty soul : “* # Alas ! why are, the long¬
haired Achaians retreating to their ships, and flying
over the plain ? O ye Gods ! (?an it be that my
worst fears have been fulfilled, as my goddess-
mother foretold to rhe, when she said that, while
I still lived, the noblest of tfre Myrmidons should
be robbed of the light of day ? Foolhardy as he
was! I told him, wlfen he had saved the ships
from fire, to return, # to me, and not to fight with*
Hektor ! ” *

While he said this to»hithself, the son of Nestor
drew near, and* shedding big tears, tpld him the
woeful* news. “ Alas ! son of wise Peleus ! sad
and bitter are the tidings thou must hear. Slain
is Patroklos ; and they are fighting over his naked
body, for Hektor has stripped him»of his armour.”

Thus spake he, and a dark cloud of sorrow fell
upon Achilles’ brow. He fell to the ground, and
tore his flowing hair, and poured black dust over
his head, and defiled his noble face and his fragrant
robes. The captive handmaidens, shrieking loudly,

233 #

234

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

flocked round the mighty hero, and wailed and
beat their breasts. Antilochos, himself still weep¬
ing, held the hands of Achilles, fearing that he
might cut his own throaty with his sword.

Then, in the depths of the iEgfean Sea, the
silver-footed Thetis, sitting by Nereus her aged
father, heard the loud moaning of her darling
son. 'And she cried aloud ; and all the sea-
goddesses, daughters of Nereus, the son of Pontos,
came flocking round her. These v/ere Gfouke,
and Thaleia, and Kymodoke, Nesaia, Speio, and
T^oe, ox-eyed Halie, and Kymothoe, Aklaie, and
Limnoreia,. Melite, Iaira, and Amphithoe.- Agave,
Doto, and Proto, Pherusa, Dynamene, and Dexa-
mene, Amphinoe, and Kallianeira, Doris, and
Panope, and renowned Galateia, Nemertes, and
Apseudes, Kallianassa, and Klymene, Janeira,
IanaSsa, Maira, and r Oreithyeia, and fair-haired
Amatheia, and other Nereids, who dwelt in the
depths of the sea. These filled the silver-glancing
tave ; and they all beat upon their breasts, as
Thetis led the wailing :

“ Hearken to me, deUr Sisters ! ” she cried ;
“ that ye may know what sorrows afflict my heart!

, Alas for me, unhappy mother of the noblest Hero !
For when I had brought forth a son, blameless and
strong, he shot up like a fair young tree in a fruit¬
ful meadow. And I sent him in the hollow ship,
to fight the Trojans. But never shall I welcome
him to his home, in the house of his father Peleus !
And even while he still enjoyeth the light of heaven,
he is full of sorrow, and I can in no wise help
him. But I will go, and see his dear face ; and

xxv THETIS WEEPS 235

t

learn wh^t grief hatl? overtaken him; though he
standeth aloof from the war.”

So spake she, and left the §ilver-glancing cave,
followed by the Sea Nyr^phs, all weepipg. And
the ocean wa^es parted before them ; quickly»they
came to the land of Troy, to the shore where the
ships of the g Myrmidons were drawn up in order.

And* \vhen Acfiilles saw his goddess -rfiother,
he uttered deep groans and wailed aloud. And
she, with a piercing cry, clasped his dear head with
her hands, and pitying sppke to him winged words
of sympathy and sorrow: t

“ Dear Child, why weepest thou ? What sorrow
hath fallen on thee ? Speak out, and hide it not
from me ! Great Zeus hath fulfilled thy wish,
that the Achaians should be forced back to their
ships, and should suffer countless ills, for want of
thee.” %

And, groaning deeply, the swift-footed son of
Peleus answered her ^ * Dear Mother ! the Olym¬
pian hath indeed answered my prayer. But what
joy is that to me ? since my dear companion, whom
I honoured above all meh, is no more, and I have
lost kirn ? Hektor hath spoiled him of J:he splendid
armour, which the gods gavq to Peleus, when he,
a mortal, married thee, a deathless goddess ! 1

would that thoy hadst remained among thy sisters
in the Sea, and that Peleus had*mated with a
mortal bride! And now, still greater sorrows
await theej; for my heart biddeth me live no
longer, unless Hektor yield his life to me, and
there be full atonement made Jby him for the slay¬
ing of the great son of Menoitios.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

236

I

Then Thetis, weeping, sfrdly replied “ Short,
then, dear Son, must be thy term of life ; for, soon
after Hektor, thou too must die.” (J

And Achilles, the soq of Peleus, deeply moved,
spake to her again: “Let me then 1 die straight¬
way, since I could not succour my dear friend in
his great need ! As I may not returmto my dear
native land, and have brought no help to any of
my comrades, whom the noble Hektor hath slain,
but sit here in my tent, cumbering tbe ground—/,
that am better in war than any of the Achaians,
though others may surpass me in Tthe council—why
should I live ? O cursed be all quarrels among
gods and men, and wrath that rageth in the breasts
even of the wise,'and filleth their hearts like smoke,
and seems sweeter to them than honey ! I, too,
raged furiously against Agamemnon, King of men ;
but mow I will forged the past, and will curb my
soul, sore wounded though it be. I go to seek
the slayer of my dearly love*d comrade. And then
d will die, when Zeus and thfi other gods'decree
my death. Dear Mother ! hold me not back from
the battle ; for thou wilt'not prevail! ”

Then Tfietis turned from her son, and spake to
her sisters : “Go ye now to tne broad bosom of
the Sea, and carry the news to ' our father, the
Ancient One of the Sea! But I vyill go to high
Olympos, and'to Hephaistos, the wise Artificer,
if perhaps he will give me a noble armour for my
son.” The Nereids all obeyed her *voice, and
'■plunged beneath the dark sea-waves; but the
silver-footed Thetis went to Olymposc

Meanwhile, the Achaians were again flying

xxv ACHILLES WITHOUT ARMOUR 237

1

before Plektor to their ships and the Hellespont;
they could not, after all, carry the body of Patro-
klos safely away from the field, because Hektor
and the Trojan host were so close upon^thenr, and
the fight was raging like a blazing fire. Thrice
did Hector seize the feet of Patroklos, and thrice
did the two® Aiantes thrust him back ; but he kept
his ground, and they could not scare him off.
And now, perhaps, would Hektor have carried off
the body, and won still greater fame, had not the
storm-swift Iris come do\vn from Olympos, with¬
out the knowledge of Zeus and the other gods,
but sent by Hera alone. Iris came and stood by
Achilles, and spake : “ Up ! son of Peleus ! most
mighty of men ! Save thy friend Patroklos, over
whose body they are.hotly fighting at the ships!
For mighty Hektor would fain sever his head from
his body and fix it on spuces on the walls of
Troy ! ”

The swift-footed 5 Achilles answered and said:
“ Goddess, who sent thee as a messenger to me ? ”

And she spake again, and said : “ It was the
golden-throned Hera, wife of the Great King*of
Gods and Men, who sent me, unknpwh to Zeus.”

“ But,” Achilles said, “ how can I engage in
the battle ? For Hektor holdeth rpy armour, and
my mother bade me wait till she brjng me splendid
new arms from Hephaistos. And no man’s armour
could I wear, except perhaps the shield of Tela-
monian Aias ; but he himself is using it.” ®

Again the storm-swift Ivis spake : “ We kjiow
that thou hast no armour ; but go as thou art, to
the fosse, and show thyself to the Trojans ; and

CH.

238 THE BOY’S ILIAD

it €T

they, I think, will cease from battle, and 'give the
wearied sons of the Achaians time to breathe.”
Fleet Iris then depai ted.

Then ‘Achilles arosd in his full might, and
Athene came to him, and threw her tasselled aegis
round his broad shoulders. On his head she
placed ,a coronet of golden cloud, blazing yvith fire.
As when, 'from a beleaguered city on an island
(after the setting of the sun, beneath the gmoke
that goeth up to the heavens), beacon, fires are
seen blazing and flashing their rays afar, such was
the bright light round great Achilles’ head.

And he went forth, and stood beside the fosse
outside the wall, ana shouted terribly; and Pallas
Athene too uttered a mighty cry, and the Trojan
host was filled with unutterable horror. Loud and
clea£ as the brazen trumpet’s bray, that calleth men
to arms against a besieging foe, so rang out the
mighty voice of great Ai-akides ; and all who
heard it quailed and trembled; and the fair-maned
horses turned withrthe cars, foreboding evil; and
the charioteers were ad aghast, when they saw the
undying flame rising from the Ijead of godlike
Achilles. Thrice, from the fosse, where he stood,
pealed forth his terrible cry ; and thrice, in dire
dismay, the X ro jans and their allies fell back.
And, in that dife confusion, twelve of their bravest
fell from their own chariots and were crushed by
the wheels. Meantime, amidst the turmoil, the
Achaians recovered the body of Patroklos and
glacjly drew it apart, to be laid on a litter, which
bore it to Achilles’ rent ; his comrades following,
and Achilles himself with them, weeping hot tears

xxv ACHILLES AT THE FOSSE 239

as he looked on the mangled remains of his dearest
friend. %

Then Hefa, the ox-eyed • Queen of Heaven,
bade the unwearied Sun go down to the»streams of
Okeanos, unwillingly, before his time ; that so the
wearied Achaians might rest from battle.

And th(? Trojans, too, ceased from the stubborn
fight; knd loosing the horses from their chariots,
the Chiefs assembled in council, all standing. For
they had no'heart to sit; fear had fallen upon
them, since Achilles had 'come forth again.

And wise Polydamas, who alone knew the
future ahd the pas*-, began to speak. 'He was a
friend of Hektor’s and they* were born in the
same night. The one was pre-eminent in battle ;
the other, in the council. And he made harangue,
and said : “ My counsel is, that we go up at pnce
to the cky, and wait not on the plain for the rosy-
fingered Dawn. So long as Achilles was wroth
with Agamemnon, a*d kept aloof from the war, 1 ^
too rejoiced to sleep* at night near the ships, think¬
ing that we should make ,them our prey. But
now I greatly fear the son of Peleus ; with him we
shall have to fight for our city, and^foi' our wives!
Let us, then, straightway go'up into our strong- ’
hold. The goddess Night hath, for a time,
delayed the onset of the swift-footecl son of Peleus ,
but if, with the Dawn, he catcheth us, when he is
fully armed—we know full well what he can do ;
and many f a Trojan will the dogs and the thirds t
devour. if, though unwillingly, ye hear^my

counsel, the towers and gates'will guard us from
the foe.”

240

THE BOY’S ILIAD ■

CH.

Then, with a scornful glance, great n Hektor
spake to Polydamas: “Unpleasing to my ears are
the words which thou hast spoken ; since thou
wouldst have us recoil from the foe, and shut us
up in the towers. The son of crafty Kronos hath
granted me great glory, and to drive the Achaians
to their ships ; therefore cease* vain man ! from
spreading Base counsels among the people! I will
not suffer that any Trojan should listen to thy
words. Let us now take the evening meal, and
keep good watch and ward; and when the golden-
felted Dawn bringeth back the day, we will arm
ourselves, and fight by the hollow ship’ii. I, at
any rate, will not flee before noble Achilles, but
will meet him face to face, that one of us may
gain eternal glory.”

Thus spake the noble Hektor ; and the Trojans
in their folly applauded ; for Pallas Athene took
away their wits, and they ^hearkened not to the
wise counsel of Polydamas. i

Meanwhile, the.Achaians passed the night in
bewailing noble Patroklos ; and louder than all
was the lamentation of the son of Peleus. He
laid his death-dealing hands upon his dear com¬
rade’s breast, moaning, and cried aloud to the war¬
like Myrmidons : “Vain was the promise which I
made to Menoitios, that I would bring home his
son with glory and a share of the rich spoils of
Troy ! For now we must, both of us, redden this
same ground with our blood. But ,.0 Patroklos!
since I so soon must follow thee, yet. will I not
light thy funeral pyre till I have brought thee the
head and the arms of haughty Hektor ! ”

xxv THE MYRMIDONS LAMENT 241

*

Thus spake AcTlilles; while h*is comrades
boiled water in a great, tripod of ablution, and
therewith washed the gore frqp the body of Pat-
roklos, and anointed it with olive oil then they
clothed him*in soft raiment and a white robe, and
laid him on a couch. And all night long, Achilles
and the warlike Myrmidons made lamentation for
the glorious Patroklos. •

CHAPTER XXVI .

On high Olympos, the Loud-thundering Zeus
spake mockingly to his consort, Hera, and
said : “ At length, thou hast what thou desirest,
an 4 hast roused Achilles to fight against the
Trojans. Surely, the long-haired Achaians must
be thine own children, since thou lovest them so
dearly ! ” ,

And the ox-eyed Queen replied : “ Dread Son
of Kronos ! what words are these which have
passed the barrier of thy teeth? Even a mortal
man doth what he can to help another ; and shall
not I, the chief of goddesses by birth and as thy
wife — O thou King of the deathless gods ! shall
not I avenge myself upon the men of Troy ? ”
Thus these two strove with one another.
Meantime, the silver-footed Thetis came to the
splendid palace of Hephaistos, bright and immortal,
which shone like a star among the mansions of the
gods. She found him at his bellows, sweating
from his mighty toil; for he was forging twenty
tripods, to stand round the walls of his well-built
mansion. Beneath each of them he placed wheels
of gofd ; and they move, of themselves, into the
assembly of the gods, and so return.

While he was thus employed, the silver-footed

242

ch. xxvi • HEPHAISTOS AND THETIS 243

%

Thetis*approached the house. And Charis, of the
shining veil, the wedded wife of Hephaistos
(whose first‘wife had been A*phrodite), came forth
to meet her* and took h£r by the hand?, and called
her by her name : ‘ O long-robed Thetis*! dear

and honoured as thou art! not oft, I ween, dost
thou c(jmS to visit us. But follow me, th#t I may
show thee due hospitality.”

Xhen she led the way in, and seated Thetis on
a lofty, chair with silver studs, beautiful, and
cunningly wrought, and placed a footstool beneath
her shining feet. And she called to Hephaistos,
the divine Artificer : “ Come hither, Tdephaistos !
for the silver-footed Thetis seeketh thine aid.”

* And the glorious lame god answered :
“ Revered and dear, to me is she ; for she saved
me, when my shameless mother threw me # down
from heaven ; and I should have suffered dire
anguish had not Eurynome, daughter of Okeanos,
and ^hetis taken me to their hearts and comforted
me. Nine years f spent with them, and fashioned
all kinds of curious wprk of bronze—clasps, and
spiral bracelet^, and ear-rings, like the calyx of a
flower, and necklaces—in the hc^lloV grot, while
all around me soared the streams of great Okeano£.
And none of the other gods knew where I was,
but only Thfctis and Eurynome. t And now that
she is come, a welcome guest, to my house, I will
repay the fair-haired Nymph in every way, for
saving nfy life.” #

So saying, he raised his mighty bulk from the
block, and, limping on his slender legs, moved
quickly ; and die put away, his bellows, and placed

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

2 44

his tools in a silver chest, and sponged his face and
hands, his strong neck aad hairy breast; then he
donned his tunic, and leaning on a stiff, he limped
along. And golden handmaids, in ^the form of
living 4, maidens, came to help their lord ; these
have intelligent minds, and human voices, and
skill frpm the deathless gods. And he wgnt with
halting gatt, and seated himself on a shining
throne, near the silver-footed Thetis; and he^took
her by the hand, and said to her : ** O $ear and
honoured Thetis of the flowing ro.bes ! why comest
th<$u to our house, thou, an infrequent guest?”

Then the silver-footed goddess answered him :
“O Hephaistos Lhalh Zeus, the Son of Kronos,
*laid on any other goddess in Olympos swch
grievous woes as on me , ynhappy that I am ?
He chose out me, from all the Sea Nymphs, to
endure marriage with‘a mortal. A son I bare, the
greatest of heroes. I brought him up, like a
young tree in a fruitful soil,*and sent him in a
high-peaked ship to^war against the Trojans ; but
never again will he return to me, in the halls of his
aged father Peleus. And even while I yet see him,
and he beholdeth the light of the sun, he is *full of
grief, and I cannot help him. For JCing Agamem¬
non took away his prize, the dearly loved maiden
Briseis. For the loss of her, he pined and wept;
nor would he allow his Myrmidons to join in the
battle, though the Achaians were hard pressed and
driven,to their ships. The Chiefs of tfle Argives
camej to him with prayers and tears, tand many
costly gifts. And though he refused himself to
rescue them, he suffered Patroklos* to put on his

XXVI THETIS AS A SUPPLIANT 245

divine armour, and sent many of the Myrmidons
with him to the battle. And the son of Menoitios
performed htgh deeds of valour, and went near to
sack the city. But the* Far-darting Apollo and
glorious Hektor slew him, and gained imfnortal
glory. And now, I come as a suppliant, to clasp
thy knqes *and to pray that thou wouldst give my
short-lived son a shield, a helmet, a* breastplate,
and goodly greaves.”

Then the lame god, the famous Artificer, re¬
plied : “Be of good cheer, O silver-footed Que£n,
and be not troubled about these things ! Would
that I ’could as surely save him frorfi mournful
death, as that I will supply Jiim with goodly
armour, a wonder to behold ! ”

And he returned ,to his workshop, and bade his
bellows — there were twenty of them — blow the
blasts An the fire and prepafe the earthen moulds ;
and as Hephaistos willed, the work was done. He
melted the tough Jbronze and tin, the gold and
silver, with the fire ; and placed an anvil and took
a strong hammer in ope .hand, and tongs in the
other, and witji these he worked.

First, he made the Shield, broad and strong,
with many decorations. Arounc! it he placed ft
triple bright rim, and a silver strap depended from
it. The shidd itself was formed with five zones,
in each of which he fashioned many curious works.

Therein he fashioned the Earth, the Sky, the
Sea, the ftnwearied Sun, the Moon at the fjill, ancf
all the bright luminaries* which crown the* azure
firmament; the Pleiades , daughters of Atlas, the
Hyades (rainy stars), the # mighty Orion , and the

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

246

Bear (or Wain ), turning about to watch 4 Orion,
which alone, of all the stars, batheth not in the
streams of Okeanos. r

Also, on the shield, he sculptured two fair cities
of artitulate-speaking men. In one of these were
wedding festivals ; and, with a blaze of torch¬
light, the brides were conducted from their
chambers along the streets ; while the hymeneal
song was loud, and the youths whirled round and
round in the giddy dance, to the music of flute
and harp ; while the women stood ; at their doors,
watching and admiring. . In that city he also
fashioned an assembly of the people, in which a
contention had ariseii, about the blood-fine or
“were-geld” for a murdered man; the people,
with noisy shouts, cheered, on either side ; but the
heralds stilled the tumult, holding their staves of
office in their hands ; and then the judges rose up,
to pronounce their verdict.

Around the other city lay two armies besieging
it" with flashing arms. Two plans were considered :
either to destroy the town, or to divide the wealth
thereof with its citizens. But the beleaguered
garrison had not yet yielded, but armed themselves
and set an ambush. Their dear wives and children,
and the old men, stood on the walls to defend it,
while the strong men went forth to <fight. And
they were led by Ares and Athene, whose forms
were fashioned in gold, with golden raiment; and,
as gods, he made them larger, and more beautiful,
than the mortals around them.

The men in ambush*set upon the herdsmen who
were driving oxen to the watering-place (of the

XXVI T^E SHIELD OF ACHILLES 247

I

army), and making lftusic with their ffipes. They
carried off the cattle ; but the besiegers, as they
sat before tha rostra, heard thp lowing of the oxen,
and drave uj>, with their* high-stepping horses, to
repel the raid. Then a fierce conflict arose;
and in it were seen Eris , and Kudoimos , and Ker
(Strife, and Uprpar, and Dire Fate) ; like living
warriors* they rushed on one another* and haled
away the dead whom they slew.

In* another part of the shield, he represented a
rich, deep-soiled, fallow field, thrice ploughed ; aAd
when the ploughers ca'me to the end of the furrgw,
a man would give to each of them a goblet of
sweet wine. And the ploughed ground grew black
behind them, like real soil, although it was of
gold. Then there, too, was a rich field of corn,
where reapers were cutting the harvest with their
sickles and it fell in rows ; and others were bidding
it with bands of stra\^ ; while the lord looked on,
and was glad at h^rt. And under a spreading
oak, a* feast was behig made ready for the reapers.*

And he fashioned therein a vineyard, rich with
clusters of black grapes (of gold), which the youths
and maidens, In their glee, carried* in baskets ;
while a boy, in their midst* made # sweet music on«
a clear-sounding harp ; and he sang the song of
Linos/’ and the rest kept time with their feet.

And there was a herd of straight-horned oxen,
all of gold and tin, hurrying to the pasture beside
the gently murmuring stream and the waving
rushes. Four herdsmen, of gold, followed them, 1
and nine fleet dogs. And two terrible lions seized
a bellowing bpll. The herdsmen followed, but

248

THE BOY’S ILIAD , ch. xxvi

they could not set on their dogs to bite the lions,
for the dogs shrank bacjc, barking and whining,
and turned away. f

And therein the glorioras divine Artist placed a
wide pasture full of white sheep, with folds and
tents and huts. And he made a dancing-ground,
like that which Daidalos wrought at Knosos for
lovely, fair-haired Ariadne. There, lusty youths
in shining tunics glistening with oil, danced with
fair maidens of costly wooing. The 'maidens had
wfeaths of flowers upon their heads; and the
youths wore daggers hanging from silver sword-
belts. They whirled round, with lightly tripping
feet, swift as the potter’s wheel, holding each other
by the wrist ; and then they ran, in lines, to meet
each other. A crowd of friends stood round and
joyfully watched the dance ; and a divine minstrel
made’ sweet music with his harp, while a pair of
tumblers diverted the crowd..

Lastly, around the margin of the shield,
Hephaistos made the stream of The mighty River,
Okeanos, which encircleth the Earth.

And when he had finished this strong and
splendid shield, he wrought the breastplate, -.glow¬
ing with blazing^ fire ; and he made a heavy helmet
for the head, beautiful, and adorned with curious
art; upon it wa 3 a crest of gold. But the goodly
greaves he made of flexile tin. When he had
completed the whole suit of glorious armour, he
flaid it before the silver-footed Thetis, the mother
6 f Acflilles ; and she farted, swift fi§ a hawk,
from'snowy Olympos,: bearing the brightly glitter¬
ing arms to her dear son.

CHAPTER XXVII

When the saffron-veiled Dawn, the rosy-fingered,
left tHe streams of Okeanos, and brought daylight
to gods and men 4 the silver-footed Thetis brougflt
the glorious work of H^phaistos to the ships of
Achilles.* She found her dear son, hanging over
the body of Patrcklos, loudly wiling ; and many
of Jiis companions re-echoed his lament. The
bright goddess stood amidst them, and clasped her
son’s hand, and said to him : “ My Child ! grieve
as we will, we must let thy friend Patroklos lie, for
by the decree of the gods he had been long fore¬
doomed to die. But look now upon these proud
arms, beautiful beybnd compare, which the lame*
god Hephaistos sends thee—such as no mortal man
hath ever seen ! ”

Theji the goddess laid them on*the ground
before him, and # they rang lordly ; fhe Myrmidons
turned away their eyes, not daring to gaze upon
them, so awe*- struck were they. But when
Achilles saw them, his fiery wrath waxed all the
hotter ; and his eyes blazed fearfully, as if with
flame. Ytt was he glad at heart, as he handled
the magnificent gift of Hephaistos ; and he spake
winged words to his dear mother : “ The arms

which thou hast brought, my Mother ! are such as

249

250

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

no mortal man could fashifin, and are the true
work of a deathless god. Forthwith, I will put
them on ; but I gr.eatly fear lest, meantime, the
flies shoulcj alight upon the ghastly wounds of my
dearly loved friend, since the life has 4 utterly gone
out of him.”

And the goddess Thetis replied : “*My Child,
let not this 4 care trouble thee ; for I will'ward off
the swarm of cruel flies that feed upon the slain.
Though he should lie here a year,-or more, his
flfcsh shall remain sound and fresh. But do thou
summon an assembly of tfre warlike Achaians, and
recant thy threats against King Agamemnen.”

And godlike Achilles went along the sea-shore,
and cried, with an awful voice, to the Admits,
rousing them to the war ; so that all, even the
helmsmen and the stewards of the ships, came to
the Assembly, for joy^that Achilles had come forth
again. Two of the great, warriors, the valiant
Diomedes and the wise Odysseus, came limping
from their wounds, and leaning on their Spears,
and took the foremost seats in the Assembly.
Agamemnon came last, also suffering from the
wound that Koon had inflicted.

Achilles ros^ in their midst, and made harangue:
“ Better had it been for us, if our breasts had not
been filled with x heart-consuming wrath against one
another, for the sake of a girl! Better would it
have been if Artemis, with her gentle shafts, had
slain her, when I brought her, as my prize, from
the booty of Lyrnes^os! Then \jfo u ld fewer
Achdians have bitten the dust, slain by the horse¬
taming Trojans. But now, I will, put away mine

xxvil THE GREAT RECONCILIATION 251

•n •

anger ; and do ye now speedily arouse the long¬
haired Achaians, and I will go forth again to fight
the Trojans ! v •

Thus spa^e Achilles ; § and the Achjuans were
glad that he renounced his wrath against King
Agamemnon. Then he, the son of Atreus, the
wide-ruling* King,* rose and spake : “ O lynends,
and Chiefs of the Danaoi! I will now f speak my
mind to the great son of Peleus ; and do ye,
Argives, hearken to my words. Ye have often
blamed me ; but / was not the cause of the evil;
it was Zeus, and the Fates, and darkly-roamiilg
Erinys, \^ho filled my soul with madness, when I
robbed Achilles of his well-tffertfed prize. It is
Ate .(Mischief), the eldest daughter of Zeus, that
blindeth the eyes of men ! with tender feet she
moveth upon the earth, or passeth above the h^ads
of men, and causeth them to*fall. When mighty
Hektor of the glanciwg helmet was slaying the
Argives at the shi^«, it was she, fell Ate, who
blinded us ! But now, I will give full recompense
to thee, O Achilles, and f I .will send thee all the
gifts that the wily Odysseus promised in thy tent.
Only, 1 pray thee, go forth with the host to
battle.” % •

And the fleet Achilles answered^ him : “ Most
glorious son ofi Atreus! as for thq gifts, give or
withhold them, as thou wilt; but let us waste no
more time in idle talk, but speedily go forth to
battle ! I Hull again show myself in the front, and
overthrow tji<| Trojans with»my spear.”

Then the crafty Odysseus*spake to Achilles:
“ O godlike son of Peleus! for all thine eager-

252

THE BOY'S ILIAD

CH.

4’

ness, lead not the Achaians fasting to the fight!
Let all the host prepare their meal. And mean¬
time let Agamemnon bring forth f the splendid
gifts, that'all may have joy of the glorious sight.
And let us make a sumptuous banquet for him and
the Chiefs, that his mind may be reconciled to thee.”

And Agamemnon rejoiced, and sail'd to him :
“ Choose, now, some young princes of the Achaians,
to bring the gifts from the tents ; and let Talthy-
bios, the herald, sacrifice a boar-pig 'to the Son of
Kronos, and to the Sun.”

r But Achilles spake again, and said : “Truly, I
would that the Achaians should go forth fasting to
the battle, and should fight till the setting of the
sun, and then prepare their meal. I, at least,‘will
taste neither food nor drink ; for my dearest friend
lieth in my tent, slain and mangled by the spear.”

And Odysseus, the man of many wiles; replied :
“ O Achilles, by far the greatest of the Achaian
host! far better art thou than I, in war ; but in
the council I surprss thee, being elder born, and
knowing more. It is not meet that the Achaians
mourn too long over a dead man ; for many fall,
day by day. v Let us bury the dead, with steadfast
hearts, and mourn him for a day ; but we who
remain must eat and drink.”

Then went Odysseus with Ne&tor’s sons, and
Meges, son of Phyleus, and Thoas, and Meriones,
and Lykomedes, son of Kreiontes, and Melampos,
to thp tent of Agamemnon, and brought forth all
the rich presents, which the King had offered to
Achilles. And among them was the most precious
of all, even the lovely Briseis.

XXVII

• BRISEIS MOURNS

253

Andche herald Talthybios, of the godlike voice,
prepared th^sacrifice to be offered to Zeus by King
Agamemnon.* He held the victim, a boar swine,
between his hands. Then the son of Aureus drew
the dirk from beside his great sword, and cilt off
the bristles from the head of the boar ; and he
raised his •eyes to Heaven and prayed ; and
Agamefnnon made oath, saying, “ Abbve all, let
Almighty Zeus be our witness, and Earth, and the
Sun, and # the Erinnyes, who take vengeance on
the perjurer —1 # swear that I have in no wiSe
harmed the damsel Bris^is ; and if what I swaar
is false, *may all the afflictions fall on*me which
the gods are wont to send on^he/orsworn ! ”

•Then the Assembly was dissolved, and the men
were scattered to their ships ; and the Myrmidons
carried the gifts of Agamemnon to the ships of
Achilles* But when Briseis,*fair as golden Aphro¬
dite, came into Achillas’ tent, and saw the mangled
remains of the noble*Patroklos, she shrieked aloud
and tKrew herself down, and* tore her face and*
neck with her delicate hands, and, with many tears,
called on the dead : “ O Patroklos ! friend dearest
to my .heart ! 1 left thee living in this tent, and
now, alas! I ijnd thee dead! I* have seen my«
husband and my three brothers slain before our
city by the swift-footed Achilles ; 'but thou didst
bid me refrain from weeping, for that thou
wouldst make me the wedded wife of the glorious
son of Peipus. Therefore I mourn thy death with
all my hear # t; for thou werf ever kind/’ 6

Then the other Chiefs departed ; but the fwain
Atreides, and .wily Odysseus, and Nestor, and

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

254

Idomeneus, and Phoinix stayed with Achilles, and
vainly tried to comfort him. But he would not
be consoled till he was engaged in murderous war.
And he .turned towards the body ,of his dearly
loved friend, and called upon him with deep groans:
<c Thou, too, O dearest of my companions! wert
wont to spread for me the dainty mearl; but now,
I cannot taste of meat or drink, for lack of thee!
I had always hoped that /alone should perish here,
in this land of Troy, but that thou wouldst return
to Phthia, and fetch my child, in the black ship,
from Skyros, and showxhim all my wealth, my
slaves, and my spacious, well-built halls:” Thus
spake the noble, sod of Peleus, weeping ; and all
the Chiefs mourned with him, thinking of those
whom they had left at home. And when Zeus
saw them thus lamenting, he was moved with pity,
and spake to Athene' winged words : ♦

cc My Daughter ! hast thou no longer any care
for great Achilles, once the darling of thy heart ?
He is now sitting by the high-prowed ship, mourn¬
ing for his dear companion ; and he is hungry and
refuseth food. Go, then, and cherish his heart
with nectar and delicious ambrosia, that he may
not feel the pangs of hunger ! ” f

And Athene sped from Olympos, like a long¬
winged, loud-screaming falcon, through the pure
aether ; and came quickly to Achilles, and distilled
nectar and ambrosia for him, to put strength into
his breast, that his knees might not bt weakened
by long fasting. * ^

Then the Achaians poured forth from their
ships, in number like the snow-flakes sent from

XXVII ACHILLES’ RADIANT ARMS 255

«

Heaven«by Zeus, anS driven by the chilly blasts of
Boreas ; s<^ thickly poured out the stream of
shining helmets and bossy shields. Great Earth
seemed to smile in the glare of the bright bronze,
and the splendour flashed up to the awellihg of
the deathless gods.

Achilles^ donned the divine armour^ which
Hephaistos by his noble art had fa<Jhioned for
him, and bore his mighty, richly-adorned shield,
that slione afar like the light of the full moon.
And the glorious Achilles moved in his armouV,
to try whether it fitted, him well; and it was*to
him as wings, and seemed to lift himr from the
ground. Then he took th£* gigeat spear, which
Cheiron had given to his father Peleus, which no
other of the Achaians could lift. And Automedon
and Alkimos yoked his horses ; and Automedon
took th« shining reins and Whip, and mounted the
chariot ; and after him Achilles mounted, in his
flashing armour, bright as the radiant Hyperion.

And Achilles called with g, stern voice to the*
horses of his great father JPeleus : “ O Xanthos
and Balios, far-famed sons of Podarge ! now more
than ever be ye careful of your charioteer, and do not
leave him among the dead, as ye difi Patroklos! ” *

Then Xanthos, of the shining feet, answered
him, bowing h?s head, and his thick mane flowed
down to the ground, as he spake with a human
voice—for the white-armed goddess Hera endowed
him with *|he power of speech :

We vjiy indeed, O terrible Achilles t* bear 1
thee safely through the battle* The day of doom
for thee, alas ! is near at hand ; but we are not to

2 56 THE BOY'S ILIAD ch. xxvii

blame, but Fate, and a mighty god. It twas not
through our carelessness that the Troians spoiled
the noble Patroklos f of his arms ; but oy the power
of the best of the gods, tiie son of fair-haired Leto
(Lat6na), and by the might of glorious Hektor.”
Then the Erinnyes (Furies) stopped the voice of
the immortal horse ; and Achilles answered, sorely
grieved : O Xanthos! why shouldst thou pro¬
phesy my death ? Well do I know that I must
perish here, far from my own dear home."

CHAPTER XXVIII

The mail-clad Achaians again gathered around
the sbn of Peleus, thirsting for the battle ; and
against them the Trojans gathered on the highest
ground of the plain, between the Simoeis and the
Skamandros. But, on £)lympos, Zeus,* the Great
Ruler of Gods and Men, senfrThemis, the Goddess
of Justice, to summon a Council to his lofty abode.
Not a river or sea-god, except Okeanos, not a
nymph, of all that haunt the groves, the water-
springs^ the hills, or grassy meads, but came a*t his
call. They came, one and all, to the palace of the
Thunderer, and sat^ them down in the shining
corridors, which the^cunning lame god, Hephaistos,*
had made for Zeus. Among them came Poseidon,
the great Shaker of the Earth, and sat him in their
midst, and inquired of Zeus the purpose of his
summons : “ Wherefore, Q God *of the bright-*
flashing Lightning, hast thou summoned us to the
Council ?”

And the Cloud-Gatherer answered him : u O
thou Girdler of the Earth, thou knowest well my
purpose ; ^for I have a care for men, even when
they are perishing. As for me, I will remaift* here 1
in a hollow of Olympos, an <4 please my mini! by
gazing at the battle ; but do ye others go forth,

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

258

and each of you succour the Trojans or the
Achaians, as it pleaseth you !” So snake the Son
of Kronos, and roused tKe war. «

Hera, and Pallas Athene, Poseidon, and the
Luck-Brii)ger, the subtle-minded Hermes, and the
mighty Hephaistos, lame, but with quickly moving
feet — these all went to the ships, «to aid the
Achaians. * And on the other side stood the* bright-
helmed Ares ; and Phoibos with unshorn locks,
and the Archer Goddess, Artemis^ with' Leto,
their mother ; and Xanthos, the River God, and
laughter-loving Aphrodite.

While the gods yet refrained from the contest,
the Achaians had gained great glory, since Achilles,
swift of foot, was once more with them ; and ,the
Trojans, on the other hand, trembled when they
looked on him, in his blazing armour.

But when the deathless gods came down into
the fray, dire Eris (Strife^, the rouser of the
warriors, rushed in ; and Athene, standing by the
'fosse, uttered a terrible cry. Then Ares, dreadful
as the black storm-cloud, shouted fiercely against
her ; now marshalling the’Trojans, from the high
towers of the city ; now speeding forth, alQng the
banks of the Slmoeis,,and over the top of the hill
Kallikolone. So the blessed gods urged on the
armies, on either side, and themselves engaged in
the fearful struggle. And Zeus thundered terribly
from the sky ; while, below, Poseidon shook the
earth, the plain and the rocky mountains. Then,
even'Aidoneus (Pluto), the King o^ the Lower
Worid, leaped from ,his throne in terror, lest the
great Earth-Shaker should brea^ through the

xxvm A 4 NEIAS MEETS ACHILLES 259

world, above him, and reveal to gods and men his
dark and ^ank and loathsome halls. So terrible
was the dm of the battle, between the gods.
Poseidon, I^uler of the Sea, stood up.against the
divine Archer, Phoibos Apollo ; AthenS en¬
countered Enyalios (Ares or Mars) ; and Artemis,
the Godd*s of the Spindle and of the rebounding
Chase,'met the fierce-eyed Athene ; Hermes stood
up against Leto (Latona) ; and the God of the
deep, whirling River, whom the gods call Xanthos,
and men Skamapdros, strove with Hephaistos. *

Thus were gods 'matched against gods ; «but
AchilleS longed, above all things, to find the son
of Priam, the noble Hektor* Now, the Archer of
the Silver Bow, the spirit-stirring god Apollo,
roused up Aineias to fight the son of Peleus, and
breathed courage into his heart. He came to him
with the voice of Lykaon,“another son of Priam,
and said : “ Aineias,%great leader of the Trojans !
where now are alLthy boastful threats over the
wine-cup, that thoh wouldst face the son of Peleus
in fight?” , .

And Aineias answered : “ Why dost thou bid
me fight with the haughty Achilles against my
will ? It is impossible for a»mortaf to slay Achillea,
for some god is ever at his side to save him. But
if the gods would hold an equal ^balance between
us, then would he not easily subdue me, though
he boasts to be made all of bronze.”

Apollp said to him : “ Then pray to the gods ?
for thou p*t the son of .Aphrodite, daughter of
Zeus, and she is higher in d»scent than the mother
of Achilles, daughter of the^ Ancient One of the Sea.”

26 o

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

He spake, r and filled Aineias with high courage ;
and he went to the front, in his bright flashing
armour ; but Hera spied nim moving*,to the fight,
and spake to the gods about her : “ O Poseidon
and Athene . bethink ye, what shall be the issue of
these things ? Apollo hath sent Aineias to fight
the son of Peleus. Let us then t,urn him back, or
stand by Achilles, whom all the best of the Im¬
mortals love ! ”

And the great Shaker of the Eavth replied :
“ Hera ! it doth not become thee to be more fierce
than wise. I, at least, dg not love to set gods
against gods. Let us then seat us on some high
hill and watch, an<j. le&ve the fight to men. Only,
if Phoibos Apollo, or Ares, hinder Achilles, £>r
give help to Aineias, then we, too, will raise the
battle-cry.”

So spake the blue-haired God of the Sea, and
led the way to the mound, w,hich Athene and the
Trojans had once built for ggdlike Herakles, to
shield him from the sea-monster which Poseidon
sent against Laomedon, for whom he had built the
walls of Troy. There they sat, shrouded in a
thick mist. And the other gods,'who favoured
the Trojans, evfcn Are»and Apollo, and the other
gods, sat them on the heights of Kallikolone.

And now thb two best men of »*he opposing
hosts advanced 'to meet each other ; even the
terrible Achilles, and Aineias, son of Aphrodite
f and Anchises. First, Aineias advance^ tossing
his heimeted head, and hplding his quicjkly moving
shield’ before his bre?st, and shaking his strong
spear. And against him rushed Achilles, like a

XXVIII ACHILLES AND AINEIAS 261

^ •

ravenous lion, whom a whole tribe of men go
forth to ^ay. And when they were now come
near to on<? another, the noble son of Peleus,
swift-footed Achilles, spake : “Wherefore, O
Aineias, dost thou come forward alone against me ?
Remember how thou didst flee before me down
the steeps* of Ida,! Then, indeed, did 2 £eus and
other gods protect thee ; but not this* time. Go
back, therefore, while thou art yet unwounded.”

Ameias replied : “ O son of Peleus ! seek not
to terrify me like a child ! for I too know how* to,
utter taunts and threats. The fame of K>ur
lineage; too, is known to both of us. * But come,
let us no longer bandy vain' boasts, like children ;
abuse there is in abundance, which we might utten
—more than enough to fill a ship of a hundred
benches ! ”

He* spake, and hurled •his spear against the
shield which Achilles%held far in front of him, lest
a spear should pierce through it — forgetting,
foolish man ! that fhe workmanship of a god doth
not lightly yield to the % strength of a mortal.
Then Achilles threw his long-shafted spear, and it
smote, the edge of the rim of Aineias’ shield,
where the bropze and the •bull’s-hide were thin ?
and the spear passed through. But Aineias
stooped, and ®it flew over him, and stuck in the
ground behind him. Then Achilles rushed at
him with drawn sword, uttering his fearful battle-
cry. But Aineias took up a stone, which no two*
men, as'qien now are, c£>uld lift. Then Would
one or the other have been skin, had not the Great
Shaker of the Earth said among the gods : “ Now

262 THE BOY’S ILIAD cm.

will the high-spirited Aineias go down to Hades,
because, foolish man ! he hath listened yt the Far-
Darter, who will in no way save him from hateful
Death. But why should^ he innocently suffer for
the wickedness of others ? For pleasing to the
deathless gods are his offerings and gifts. Let
us then lead him away from the path of grim
Death; since, if Achilles slay him, the Son of
Kronos would be angry. We all know, that the
Fates have declared that the race cf Dardanos,
whom Zeus greatly loved, shall not perish but
shall reign in Troy hereafter. But the race of
Priam hath'Kronion always hated.”

And ox-eyed Hera’ answered him : “ Do thou
determine, in thine own mind, whether thou wilt
rescue Aineias ; for we, even Pallas Athene and I,
have sworn never to help the Trojans, not even
when the Achaian warriors shall burn their city.”

Then Poseidon went straightway to the field,
where Aineias and glorious Achilles were standing
face to face. He clouded thfc eyes of Achilles
with a mist ; and drew out the spear from Aineias’
shield, and laid it at the feet of the son of Peleus.
Then he caught up Aineias, and rose with him
high above the battle, and carried him where the
Kaukones, allies from the shores of the Euxine,
were arming themselves for the war ; and thus he
spake to Aineias : “ O foolish man! what god
hath urged thee rashly to fight against the haughty
'Achilles, who is a better man than thou, and
dearer to the gods ? ”

Then he suddenly cleared away the mist from
the eyes of Achilles, who stared with, astonishment,

xxviii APOLLO SAVES HEKTOR 263

•

and said* to his own clear soul, in great* perplexity :
“ What a *tfonderful thing is this ! There is my
spear, on tmj* ground ; Wut the man, at whom I
cast it, I can nowhere s^e ! Is he , too, dear to
the deathless gods ? ” * •

Then he ran along the lines of the Achaian
army, and soused every man to the battle. “ Stand
not al< 3 <$f! ” he cried, “ O Achaians !• but throw
your noble souls into the fight ! Strong as I am,
I canftot fight alone against a host; nor could even
Ares, or* Athene. But I will nowise be slack ;
and methinks no Trojan will gladly endure pay
spear.” •

On the other side, glork>us t Hektor shouted
alcyad to the men of Troy : “ Fear not the son of,
Peleus ! for I will go to meet him, though his
hands are like iron, and his ferocity like the all-
destroying fire. And the Trojans all brandished
their spears, and rajsed their battle-cry. But
Phoibos Apollo spa]^e to Hektor and said : “ Be¬
ware df challenging* Achilles before the lines ; but
wait for him in the thick of the battle ; lest he
slay thee with the.sword.” Then Hektor fell
back apiong h*s comrades, amazed at the voice of
the god. # • • •

But Achilles, with his fearful cry, fell upon the
Trojans ; and* many brave warriors fell beneath
his spear. Of these was Iphition, the gallant son
of Otrynteus, and his mother was a Naiad Nymph.
Next, Achilles pursued Polydoros, the goodly sort
of Priam< whom his fathef loved as his yd&ngest
born, ancf had always forbidden him to 'fight.
Him, when ip his boyish* folly he had rushed

264

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

through the front ranks, Achilles smote* in the
back, where the golden buckles of hi/ belt were
joined ; and he fell, never to rise agahi.

But when the noble , Hektor saw his brother
fall, he couxd not bear to stand aloof; but rushed
towards Achilles like a flame of fire.

And Achilles leapt up, rejoicing, and said :
“ Lo ! this is the man who slew my' dearest
comrade; now we shall not shrink from one
another. ” And, looking fiercely at glorious
Hektor, he said : “ Come on ! that thou mayest
the sooner meet thy doom.”

And Hektor undismayed replied : “ Seek not
to frighten#/*/ 1 know full well that thou art
a better man than I. But the issue of the battle
is on the lap of the gods ; and my spear too is
sharp and deadly.”

Then he hurled his great spear at Achilles.
But Athene, with a light breath, blew it aside, and
sent it back to goodly Hektpr. Then Achilles
lushed fiercely upon him; but Apollo, easily like
a god, caught him up and hid him in a cloud.

Thrice, and four times, Achilles smote the
cloud, with ,a terrible cry ; and at the ^fourth
pnset, he spake vvinged words to Hektor : “ Base
hound! once more hast thou escaped me —
narrowly, indeeu—by the help of the God of the
Silver Bow! But hereafter I will slay thee, if
any god will help me y too ! ”

- Then he slew Dryops, and Demouchos, and
Laogonos, and Dardanos, and Tros, Alas or’s son,
who vainly begged fqr mercy on his youth ; and
many others. Thus, like the fir$ which rages

XXVIII FIERCE DEEDS OF ACHILLES 265

^ I

fiercely, through a deep valley, furiously raged
Achilles wkh his spear ; and the black ground was
drenched wljh blood. His jingle-hooved horses
trampled men and armcjur in the dust; and the
axles of his*chariot, and the wheels, w£re splashed
with blood from the horses’ feet.

CHAPTER XXIX

Thus the victorious Achilles pressed on, in his
glorious career, driving a part of the*Trojan host
to*the ford of the swift whirling stream of Xanthos,
the son of immortal Zeus ; and the other part
he drove over the plain towards the city. r

And Hera, ever 6 n the watch, spread a mist
before the eyes of the Trojans to stop their flight,
and pent them in the silver-flowing stream, into
which they plunged with a fearful din, and the
banks around rang lotidly. Like the swarms of
locusts that seek the river, pursued by the flaming
fire, and fall in a heap into# the water, so the
divine River Xanthos was filled with the throng of
horses and flying Trojans.

Achilles left his spear on the bank, and leapt
into the water, using his sword alone, and slew
inen in every direction. And the cries and groans
of the slaughtered arose, and the stream flowed
red with blood, And as the smaHer fry of fish
flee before the wide-mouthed dolphin, and hide
them in the nooks of a bay, so the Trojans
crouched under the steep cliffs of the mighty
river.' 1 * Vc

And first Achilles met Lykaon, a son of Priam,
whom he had once before captured, in his father’s

266

Ctt. XXIX ACHILLES SLAYS LYKAON 267

orchard,«by night, and had sold him to the people
of Lemnosiw From them he was bought by the
son of Jasons and was ifter^vards ransomed by
Eetion, of Imbros, and returned to his father’s
house ; but the gods now brought him again into
the hands of Achilles.

And Lykaon, ^ho had thrown away his helm
and spe^* and shield, prayed piteously £o Achilles,
to spare his life. But the son of Peleus heeded
not his grayer. “Fond fool!” he said, “until
the fatal day when Patroklos fell by the spear Sf
Hektor, I was fain to spare the Trojans, and *to
accept a ransom. But now the gods have
delivered the Trojans into my hands, and chiefly
the# sons of Priam. My Friend, thou too must
die ! Dost thou lament thy fate ? Patroklos is
dead, a far better man than thou. Over me, too,
hang Death and resistless Pate.” Then he slew
him with the sword, a*id hurled him into the fair¬
flowing river, to be tihe food of fishes.

Meantime, the 'divine Riyer Xanthos grew'
more and more wroth ^at. the slaughter of the
Trojans and the defilement of his fair waters. He
considered in nis mind how he might save the
Trojans from destruction. * *

Then Achilles rushed on Asteropaios, son of
Pelegonos ; ami he, into whose l\eart the divine
River Xanthos put mighty courage, stood up
against Achilles. And when they were come near
each othen Achilles, swift of foot, addressed him :
“ Who aft; *thou, that darest to meet me in
battle?” Asteropaios answered: “I come trom
fertile Paionia,#as leader of' the Paionian spear-

CH.

268 THE BOY’S ILIAD •

0

, t

men; and my lineage is from the'broad River
Axios, who begat Pelegonos, my fatj^r.” Then
he cast two spears aJ* onie, for he could use both
hands ; and with one, he only smote £he shield of
Achilles; but with the other, he wounded the
elbow of his right arm. Then the son of Peleus
hurled # his spear, which missed, and w£s buried to
half its length in the bank. Leaving Kis spear
still quivering there, he rushed at Asteropaios
with his sharp sword, and took away* his life; and
then, drawing his strong spear ou,t of the bank, he
left Asteropaios there, for the eels and fishes to
devour. Then he charged the other Paidnians, in
their chariots, who huddled together along the
banks, in their terror, when they saw their great
leader slain ; and he killed Thersilochos, and
Mydon, and Astypylos, and Mnesos, Thrasios,
ancTAinios, and marfy other heroes. He would
have killed more of the Paionians ; but the deep¬
whirling River called to him, from the deep
“waters, in wrath : „

“ Thy deeds surpass ( the measure of mortal
strength ; for the gods are helping thee ! But, if
great Zeus ‘hath granted thee to slay all the
^Trojans, at any rate drive them out of my waters,
and do thy ghastly work upon the plain ! ”

And the svjift-footed Achilles answered him :
“ I will do as thou askest, O Heaven-born Ska-
mandros! but I will yet slay the proud Trojans,
till I have driven them over the plain into the
’city,'and have fought with Hektor.’h # JLnd again
he fell upon the Trojans, like an avenging Deity.

But the deep-whirling River spake to Apollo,

XXIX ACHILLES AND SKAMANDROS 269

God of the Silver Bow, and said : “ O shame on
thee, great* 4 rcher God, and Son of Zeus! Is it
thus that tn£>u obeyest *the # commands of thy
father, who straitly bade tihee aid the Trojans, till
darkness cover the fertile earth ? ”

Then Achilles leapt from the bank, into the
river. But*Skamandros rushed at him, an 4 swept
away th*£ dead whom Achilles had slain, *and threw
them up, on to the land, with a loud roar, like,
that pf a bdlowing bull. And he hurled his
strong stream against the shield of Achilles, so
that Achilles could not; keep his feet. Then
Achilles ^seized hold of a tall elm, but it fell,
tearing away the bank, and lay*right across the
stream, and stayed the River God himself.

Achilles then sprang out of the water, and ran
over the plain, for he was terrified ; but the ^god
ceased not pursuing, for he'was fain to save the
Trojan host. The fl^et-footed Achilles fled with
the swoop of a black* eagle, mightiest and swiftest
of birds ; and close behind him roared the terrible
River, and caught up Achilles, swift as he was,
for gods are stronger than men. And when
Achilles* strove to keep a firm footing, then a
mighty wave came thundering on his shoulder,
and tore away the ground beneath hjs feet. Then,
in despair, he tooked up to the wi^e heaven and
cried aloud :

“ O Father Zeus ! will none of the gods pity
me, and save me from the fury of the River?
Verily, imy # dear mother is most to blame ^ for
she deceived me with false words, saying that I
should die by 4:he arrows c>f Apollo, under the

270

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

walls of sacred Troy. Would that Hektor, the
best of the Trojans, had killed me ! t^&n would a
brave man have been sliin by a br£ve man ; but
now, I must perish life a miserably swineherd’s
boy, when he tries to cross a torrent in a storm.”

But Athene and Poseidon came to him, in the
shape of men, and took him by the hand. And
the great Shaker of the Earth spake to him :
“ Fear not, son of Peleus ! for we come with the
favour of Zeus, for it is not thy "doom to be
vanquished by the River, and he will soon retreat.”
Then the twain gods -departed, and Achilles
rushed on ; but all the plain was deluged with
water, and the corpses of the slain, with their
beautiful armour, drifted along. He struggled
bravely against the stream ; for Athene put strength
into his knees,and the wide River could not stop him.

Nor did Skamandros abate at all of his wrath,
but raged still more furiously, rising on high, and
, curling the crests of his billoT/s. And he shouted
aloud to his dear brother, the River God Simoeis :
u O Simoeis! let us join together, to check the
course of this mighty man; or he will sack the
proud city df Uios, for the Trojans dare not meet
him. Help me, dear* Brother, and press on, with
all thy torrents full of fallen trees and stones, and
slay this proud man, who thinks Himself the peer
of gods! His strength and beauty shall avail
him nought ; nor his divine armour, which I will
quickly cover over with slime ; and himself I will
bury in the sand, beneath a heap of'silt. Nor
need the Achaians r^ise another mound above him,
when they celebrate his funeral !

XXIX SKAMANDROS SCORCHED 271

% '

So spake 1 the mighty River, and fell thundering
upon Ac^lles with his foaming waves, full of
blood and tjead men’s bodies. Then would he
have swept away the son of Peleu§; but the
watchful Hera cried aloud and called to her dear
son Hephaistos: “Help us with all speed, for
thou art & match for Xanthos in fight! Put
forth mighty blast of flaming fire ;* and along
his banks burn up his trees, and cover him
with/flames^and be not moved by soft words or
threats.” ^

Then Hephaistos prepared the blazing fire, <?nd
therewith burned the dead, whom Achilles had
slain ; and he burnt the goodly trees, the elms,
ths willows, and the tamarisk shrubs, the lotos,'
and the reeds, and the galingal. And the eels and
other fishes were sorely troubled, tumbling t this
way and that in the stream. n

And the mighty River was scorched, and cried
out in pain : “ Hephaistos! who can contend,
with tTiy blazing fire ? Nays let great Achilles
hunt the Trojans out of t their city ! What have 1
to do with him or them ? ”

Thus spake the River God ; ^foV his lovely
waters were boiling, like a taldron set upon logs
of firewood. Then, in his anguisfy, he cried unto
Hera: “ Why hath thy son th*is afflicted me

above all others ? But, lo ! I will cease, if thou
wilt stay the hand of Hephaistos.”

And Hera bade her son desist, for she t said :
“It is nol fight to afflict a* deathless god, fo£ the
sake of a mere mortal.” So they ceased from
strife, at the bidding of Quee’ti Hera.

272

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

But the other gods, meanwhile, were still con¬
tending in bitter strife. They clashed together
with a mighty din ; ;md r the broad ervrth groaned,
and the echo from the high heaven was like the
sound of a trumpet. Ares was the first to begin
the contest. He rushed upon Athene with his
spear, and spake mockingly to her : “ Why, O
thou shameless dog-fly! dost thou stir up war
between gods and gods ? Verily, it was thou
who didst urge the son of Tydeus; the mighty
Diomedes, against me; and thou thyself didst
wound me with a spear ! ’L

Then he struck the awful tasselled aegis, im¬
penetrable even to the lightning of Zeus. But
she, unhurt, stooped, and took up a huge bl?ck
stone, the landmark of a field, and hurled it at
murderous Ares ; and it struck him on the neck,
and dashed him to the ground ; and his- mighty
frame lay, seven roods long, upon the plain.

‘‘Fool that thou art ! that f hast not even learnt
Kow much mightier I am than thou! ” Thus
spake she, and turned away her fierce eyes. But
Aphrodite came to him, and took him, loudly
groaning, by'the hand, and led him away., Hera
saw them, and spake to Athene: ‘‘Shame on thee,
daughter of the Thunderer! behold, that dog-fly
is leading Ares irom the fray ; go thou and catch
her ! ” And Athene, with exulting heart, rushed
at Aphrodite, and, with her strong fist, smote her
on the breast, and her limbs were loosened. So
the twain, bloodthirsty Ares and laugh-er-loving
Aphrodite, lay stretched upon the grain-giver
Earth ; and Athene ^ proudly triumphed over

XXIX POSEIDON CHECKS APOLLO 273

them: ’’“Somay all fare, who give help to the
Trojans! ^

Then Poseidon, the "Earth-Shaker, spake to
Apollo : “ O Phoibos! do we tajce opposite
sides in the war? Hast thou forgotten what evils
we twain suffered at the hands of Laomedon,
when \ye came to that haughty King, by com¬
mand of Zeus, and served him for a year, under
promjse of a rich reward? I, indeed, built a
mighty wall, strong, beautiful, and impregnable ;
while thou, O glorious Far-Darter! didst herd
his shambling oxen, of the crumpled horns,'in
the wooded glades of many-rilled Ida! But
when we were rejoicing that che time of our
seiVice was accomplished, the horrible Laomedon*
threatened to bind us, hand and foot, to cut off
our ears, and to sell us into slavery. Wilt ,thou
not, therefore, help us to humble these proud
Trojans ?” 5

Ap # ollo the Far 1 Darter replied: “ O mighty
Girdler of the Earth! thou wouldst rightly
deem me mad, if I were* to fight with thee for
the sake of wretched mortals, who, like the leaves
of the "trees, are no\% full of lusty life, and feed on
the rich fruits *of the earth, and now, weak and*
pithless, fade away and die. Then let us cease
from strife, anci leave them to themselves! ” And
he departed ; for he thought it shame to fight with
his father’s brother. But his sister, Artemis, the
mighty Huntress of wild beasts, was wroth, with,
him, ancrmAcked him, saying: ^

u Dost thou fly, Apollo, arfd yieldest the victory
and the glory Vo Poseidon ? ’* Poor childish God !

274

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

vain is thy Silver Bow! Never again wilt thou
boast, in our father’s halls, that thou w^uldst dare
to fight even against Poseidon ! ” f

But the Far-Darter answered her not a word.
The great Queen of Heaven, Hera, the spouse
of Zeus, upbraided her, with insulting words :
“Whati thou shameless minx! dost‘thou dare
to stand up’against me? Against women,'indeed,
Zeus made thee a lioness ; but did not bid thee
match thy strength with mine. Better is it- for
thee to chase the wild beasts in the mountains
than to fight with those who are better than
thou. But come, let us fight, if thou wilt,
that thou mayest ^learn how much mightier I am
-ihan thou art.” v

She spake, and seized the wrist of the Archer
Queen with her left hand ; and with her right,
plucked the Silver Bow from her shoulders, and,
smiling, beat her on the head, as she turned this
way and that ; and all the arrows lay scattered on
the ground. Artemis fled, like a dove from a
falcon, weeping bitterly- Then her mother Leto
(Latona) picked up the bow' and arrows of her
daughter, and" went her way.

But the Maiden Gbddess sped to Olympos, to
the palace of h^r father Zeus ; and she sat, sorely
weeping, on his ,knee; and her beaiftiful garments
quivered around her. And the Son of Kronos
cherished her, and said : “ Who of the deathless
gods hath treated thee after this fashion, as if thou
hadst been caught in some grievous defcd . M ”

And the bright -Orowned Queen of the noisy
Chase replied : “ It' was thy wife, O Father 1

xxix HERA BEAT % S ARTEMIS 275

\ * •

that did beat me ; she, who ever sets the gods at

variance vfcji one another ! ”

Now, th«T other eternal* gods went up to
Olympos, scjme triumphs, and some # angry, and
sat them by the side of the cloud-begirt Zeus;
but Phoibos Apollo repaired to the citadel of holy
Ilios, fo£ he greatly feared that the Danaai might
destroy it before its day of doom. *

CHAPTER XXX -

Meantime, Achilles went on slaughtering the
Trojans ; and the aged Priam stood on the sacred
- tower, and saw the son of Peleus driving the
Trojans before him. And he shouted aloud to
the brave warders of the gates * “ Open the gates,
that the fugitives may enter!” And the Far-
Darter went to the front, to save the Trojans who
were fleeing to the sheltering walls, with Achilles
behind them in hot pursuit.

Then would the Achaians have stormed the
lofty gates of Troy, had ‘not Phoibos Apollo
roused Agenor, a brave and nbble Prince, son of
Antenor. Apollo stood by this man’s side, lean¬
ing on an oak, and shrouded in mist, and put
courage into his heart, that he might ward off
fate from the Trojans. And when Agenor saw
Achilles, he stood irresolute, and said to his mighty
heart * “ If I too flee before Achilles, he will catch
me and slay me- as a coward. Or" shall I fly by
another way, and hide me in the spurs of Ida ?
How, then, if I go forth to meet him ? for his
Jflesh, f too, may surely be pierced by ^he keen
bronze, and he has but one life/ Ukc other
mortals.”

And his heart grew strong with'in him, to stay

276

ch. xxx APOLLO SAVES AGENOR 277
#l i

‘and fight. *And he cried out aloud to Achilles:
“ Surely, thou thinkest this very day to sack the
proud city Troy? Fool! many^terrible things
will happen before that or there are many of us
—many anfl brave—to protect our dear parents
and wives and little children, and to guard holy
Ilios. Thfou tog, perhaps, mighty as thou art,
mayesf ?iere meet death.’* '

He spake, and hurled a spear at Achilles with
his strong hand. And it smote him below the
knee, and the tin-wrought greave rang loudly ;
but the stout spear bounded off, for it could *aot
pierce the work t)f Hephaistos.

Then Achilles rushed on godlike Agenor ; but
him Apollo caught in a mist, and carried him
safely out of the fray. And the god took the
form of Agenor, and ran a little way before
Achilles, towards the deep-flowing Skamandros.
And while Apollo thus deceived the mighty son
of Peleus, the routed Trojans ran, well pleased, to
their Stronghold, aifd the gre^t city was filled witR
their multitude.

Then, as he ran, before Achilles, the mighty
Far-Darter addressed him, and spake: “O son
of Peleus! why dost thouf being* a mortal man?
pursue me with thy swift feet, who am a deathless
god ? ” The*i, in wrath, the s son of Peleus
answered him: “Thou hast blinded me, most
mischievous of all the gods! and lured me away
from the walls; else would many a Trojan have”
fallen, oy’^ever he ( had reached the city.”” He”
then went towards the city,, with a proud’heart,
like a war-horsp victorious in a chariot race ; and

THE BOY'S ILIAD

CH.

278

the aged Priam saw him, blazing like the stai
in autumn brightest of all, which men call
u Orion’s dog,” that bringeth fever upon wretched
mortals.

Ahd the old man cried aloud, in his agony,
and beat his head with his fists, and called in a
piercing voice to his dear son HektOi. For the
brave hero/ when all the others had escaped into
the city, remained alone at the Skaian Gate, eager
to fight with Achilles. And his wretched 'father
stretched forth his withered hands, and pleaded
piteously to his son:

“ Hektor! dear Hektor! do not meet this
terrible man alone, for he is far mightier than
thou, and knoweth no pity. Already hath he
robbed me of many a brave son ; and now I no
longer see two of my children, Lykaon and the
goodly Polydoros, whom Laothoe, princess among
women, bare to me. But the death of others will
cause us briefer grief, if thou, dear Hektor, art
hot slain. Come, then, within the walls, ahd save
the men and women of Troy ! And have pity
on me, too, to whom the Son of Kronos hath
allotted a terrible doom in my old age—to .see my
brave sons dragged away, and my, fair daughters
carried off, as captives, by the cruel hands of the
Achaians. Last- of all, I too shall be torn, on
my own threshold, by ravenous dogs—even the
dogs which I myself have reared with food from
r my table, to guard my house. They will tear my
'flesh <md drink my blood ! It may well become a
young man to lie slair on the field, for he is highly
honoured in his death ; but when .dogs defile an

xxx PR 4 YERS OF PRIAM & HEKABE 279

old m^n's Ijead and*bearcl, this is the most lament¬
able thing that befalleth wretched mortals.”

And thf^old man tore his hair in his sore agony;
but even he* prevailed not with the*soul of Hektor.
And then iiis dear motfier, Hekabe,,took ,up the
plaint and spake through her piteous tears

“ Hektor! my child ! have respect to the
mothet who bafe thee and nursed fhee on this
bosom ! Pity me ! and fight the foe from this
side*of the .wall! For if he slay thee, not on* a
funeral* bed shall I, and thy dear wife, won by so
many gifts, deplore thee ; but the swift dogs shaM-
devour thee* faj* away Yrom us, by the black s’hips
of the Argives.”

Thus wailed they over theiV glorious son, be¬
seeching him ; but they could not prevail, for
honour held him fast. Meanwhile, Achilles drew
nigh, in strength like a gia^it ; but Hektor awaited
him undismayed, leaning his shield against the
tower. And he communed thus with his brave
soul« “ Alas ! if I#go through the gates, Polydamas
will justly blame me ; for h£ gave me good advice^
—that I should lead* the host into the city on
that fatal night, wben the noble Achilles returned
to the war. And I would not f hearken to him,
although he counselled wefl. And now that I have
brought this, evil on the city by my folly, I am
ashamed to appear before the m^n, and the proud
dames with trailing robes, lest some one should
taunt me and say : 4 Hektor in his pride hafch
ruined us/ Betfter then would it be for»me to
meet Adnlles, aAd either slay him or fall with
glory before the city. Or # |how would it be if I

280

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

t

should lay aside all my arms/and go po meet the
son of Peleus, and offer to restore Argiye Helen,
and all her possessions, to Menelao$ and Aga¬
memnon, and 10 divide the wealth or Troy with
the Achaiaijs? But no! I might come to him
unarmed, but he is merciless, and would slay me
on the spot, as if I were a woman. But why do I
hesitate ? This is no time to hold dalliance with
him, from oak or rock, like youths and maidens.
Better to fight at once, and see to whom Olympian
Zeus will give the victory ! ”

While he thus pondered, Achilles, peer of Ares,
came on, poising his terrible spear of Peli^n ash ;
and his divine armour, the work of a god, blazed
like fire or the rising sun. And when Hektor
saw him he was seized with panic, and he fled from
the gates in terror.

Bvt Achilles, swift pf foot, rushed after him.
As a falcon, swiftest of all birds, swoops upon the
trembling dove, and takes no heed of her piteous
streaming, so Achilles flew straight at Hektor.
And pursuer and pursued passed by the guard and
the wild fig tree, the sport of the winds, and came
to the two springs of water, which feed the deep¬
whirling Skama^ndros. Brave was he who fled,
but mightier far was he who chased him on his
swift feet; and- they were racing not for some
prize in the ganfies, but for the life of the noble
horse-taming Hektor. And like horses in the
face for a great prize—a tripod or a woman—so
the tw.ain ran thrice round the sacred city of King
Priam r; and all the gods were looking on.

And Zeus, the Gre.at Father of Gods and Men,

xxx ACHILLES CHASES HEKTOR 281

n

'spake f^rst “ Alas f I see a man tfhom I love
above all,others chased round the walls of Troy.
Come now,tl£t us take gome counsel, whether to
save him or leave him tp be" slain* by the son of
Peleus.” « ' *

And the fierce-eyed Athene answered him : “ O
thou great Lord of the Lightning, Cloud-girt King !
what a?*word hast thou spoken ! Wouldst thou
indeed save a mortal long ago doomed by Fate ?
Do a» thou pleasest ; but we gods shall not praise
thee.” * *

And her gr&at father, the Cloud -Gatherer,
answered with gentle words : “ O Trito-born,
my dear child ! be of good cheer. I spake not in
earnest, and would fain please thee. Do as seemeth
good to thee.” And Athene, full of joy, sped
down from high Olympos.

Ach^les, with all speed,*was chasing the ifoble
Hektor, as the dogs hunt the fawn of a deer
through dale and woodland ; and though the fawn
hideth* behind a bush, they follow by the scent 1
until they find it ; so Hektor could not escape
from the swift-footed sbn ’of Peleus. Often did
Hektor rush along the strong walls, in hopes that
the Trojans within n^ight succour him from above,
with their arrows. But Achilles gained on him
and turned hin^ into the plain agai^i!

And so, though Hektor failed in his flight and
Achilles in his pursuit, yet might Hektor have
escaped his doom, had not this been the last time
that Apollo $he Frfr-Darter came nigh to hmi, to
nerve his* Heart and^his swift Jcnees. Achillas had
made a sign to^his comrades,* and forbade them to

282

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

launch theirldarts against the noble Hektor, lest one
of them should gain high honour, and h? come only
second. And when they had, for thy fourth time,
run round the walls' and reached the springs, then
Zeusr, the 0 Great Father, raised his golden scales,
and placed in each the lot of gloomy Death—one
for Hektor, and the other for Achilles. And he
held the scales by the middle, and poised- them ;
and the noble Hektor’s scale sank down to Hades ;
and Phoibos Apollo left him. - »

M But the fierce-eyed goddess Athene came near
to Achilles and spake winged v^ords : “ Now, at
last, O godlike Achilles ! shall we twain carry off
great glory to the Achaian ships ! He cannot
now escape us, though the Far-Darter should
grovel at the feet of Zeus with fruitless prayers.
But do thou stay and recover thy breath ; and I
will’go and persuade ✓Hektor to stand up against
thee in fight.” And he gladly obeyed her voice,
and stood leaning on his ashen spear.

And she, Athene, came to»noble Hektor in the
likeness of his brother Deiphobos, and spake to
him : “ Dear Lord and elder Brother, surely the
fleet-footed son of Peleus hath done great violence
against thee, chasing thee round the walls! But
let us twain make a stand against him ! ”

And the gi*eat Hektor answered : “ Deiphobos,
thou wert ever the dearest of my brothers ; now I
honour thee still more, because thou hast dared to
come out from behind the walls to aid me, while
others skulk within.” *

The fierce-eyed < goddess, ?ts Deiph'obos, spake
again : “ It is true that my fatherland my queenly

XXX

CRUELTY OF ACHILLES 283

mother ^ and' all my comrades, besought me to stay
with them, so greatly do they fear the mighty son
of Peleus ; 'but my heart was sore for thee, dear
Brother! But let us fight amain, and see whether
he will carr^ our spoils to his ships, or'fall beneath
thy spear ! ” And so, with her cunning words, she
led him on 1 to de^th.

AnS^ when he and Achilles were come near to
each other, the noble Hektor spake : “ O mighty
Achilles, thrice did I flee before thee round the
great city of Priam, and dared not await thy
onslaught. But now I,will stand up against thee,
to slay* or tA be slain. But come, let us make a
covenant with one another, and t call the gods, the
best guardians of oaths, to witness. If Zeus grant
me to take thy life, and despoil thee of thy divine
armour, then will I give back thy body to the
warlike. Achaians ; and do Jhou the same by hie!”

And Achilles, with a malignant scowl, replied:
“ Speak not to me, of covenants! There is no
covenant between nlen and liops, or between wolvek
and sheep, but only eternal war. And there can
be no pledge of faith between us twain, until one
of us hath sated the murderous Ares with his
blood. Therefore, show thyself a*good spearman?
and a brave man of war! There is no escape for
thee, for Pallas Athene hath delivered thee into
my hands.”

He spake, and cast his long-shafted spear at
Hektor. But Hektor stooped, and the strong 1
bronze «jpenr fleK over his head; but Athene
picked it up, unknown to Hektor, and gave it
back to Achilles. Then Hektor, rejoicing, spake

284

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

to the son of Peleus : “ Thou hast missed! Nor
dost thou surely know the day of my doom, as
thou pretendest. Thou f shalt not pleat thy spear
in my back, as I flee before thee ; but in my
breastf, if th*: gods allow it. But now, in thy turn,
avoid my spear! ” So spake he, and smote the
middle of Achilles’ shield with his lcng-shafted
spear, but it bounded back from the shield.* Then
Hektor was dismayed, for he had no second spear
to throw. And he called aloud to his brother,
Deiphobos ; but no answer came, for he was far
away. Then Hektor kne t w that he was betrayed,
and that Athene had deceived him, in the likeness
of his brother. “ 4 Now,” he cried, “ is Death come
near me, and there is no way of escape ! This is
the will of Zeus and of the Far-Darter, who once
were wont to succour me. But I will not die
ingldriously, but yet perform some notable deed
of arms.” u

He said, and, with his sh^rp sword, swooped
down upon Achilles. But Achilles rushed at him,
wild with fury, brandishing his spear, with evil
intent against noble Hektor, and eyed him over,
to see where he might pierce his flesh most easily.
The rest of Hcktor’s body was protected by the
splendid armour which he had stripped from the
body of Patroif,los; but there was one chink,
between the collar-bone and the throat, through
which Achilles thrust his spear. Yet it cut not
che windpipe ; and Hektor was able to speak faint
\vords to his insulting foe, aftep he had fallen to
the ground. t l

Achilles triumphed over him : “ Ah, Hektor !

Achilles and the‘dying Hektor— Ihi^e 285

xxx HkKTOR’S DXING WORDS 285

I f * •

when tHbu vfert stripping Patroklos of my goodly
armour, thou caredst nothing for me, who was far
away! I, hfe friend and‘avenger, was left among
the black slyps—even I, & mightier man than he I
Thee shall the dogs and birds devour; but he
shall have honourable burial! ”

Theij, with his last breath, the noble *Hekg©n
of the *bright helm addressed his pitiless
“ Achilles ! I pray thee, by thy soul, and by ^.njfc
parents’ heads, let not Achaian dogs devouremy
by the ships ! but accept great store of gold>*n<f,
bronze from my fatherland my queenly mdBfbr,
and rest&re my body to them, that the Troj|n9»lnay
deck my funeral pyre with all due honour!/’* ^
•And Achilles, with a grim scowl *^e{pie& T
“Clasp not my knees, vile dog ! nor spjtektbme"
of parents ! Such evil hast thou doneJ»^£^at I
could devour thee raw! $ot for thy y weigh# in
gold would I give th^e to thy queenly mother, to
mourn over thee ; but dogs and birds shall battery
on thy flesh ! ” •

Then the dying Hekjion uttered his last words :
“ Thou iron-he£rted*man ! now I know thee ; nor

did I think to prevsyl upon thee. But beware of
the wrath of the gods, wh£n Paris and the Far-
Darter slay thee, at the Skaian Gate^ brave though

thou art ! ”

He spake ; and Death overshadowed him ; and
his foul went down to Hades, wailing to leave,
beauty, youth, andtvigour.

And Acihflles sp»ike agam to the dead Hejctor :
“ Lie thou there ! And as fo? me, I will die when
it seemeth good to the deathless gods ! ”

286

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

And the Achaians ran up, and cooked with
wonder at the noble stature and beauty of the
Trojan hero. And they all inflicted bounds upon
him, as he lay, saying, “ He is easier to deal with,
now, than when he was burning our ships with
flames of fire.”

And when the son of Peleus had stripped him
of his armour, he stood up, and spake to the
Achaians :

“ Great Chiefs and Counsellors of the Argives!
.#t*last the gods have granted us to slay this man,
whbse single arm hath wrought more evil to us
than all the rest together. Let us now approach
the city, and learn the purpose of the Trojans ;
Whether they will now surrender the citadel, *or
go on fighting, though great Hektor is no more.
But ^yhy do I thus ponder in my mind ? Patroklos
is lying unburied and unwept by the ships. - Never
can I forget him, while I live; and even in the House
pf Hades, I will remember -my dearest friend.
Come, then! let us raise the chant of victory, and
bear our deadliest foe ta tl\e black ships ! ”

Then he foully outraged * the ,dead body of
glorious Hekfor ; slitting the^inews of both feet,
from heel to ankle, *he passed ox-hide straps
through them, % and fastened them to his chariot,
leaving the goodly head to trail up< 5 n the ground.
Then he laid the armour on the chariot; and,
mounting it, lashed his willing horses to full spteed.
And in the dust lay the once beautiful head, with
its flowing hair ; for Zeus had now given. Hektor
up to his enemies, to be foully used in his own
native land.

xxx HECTOR’S BODy OUTRAGED 287

« • * .

And Vherf his dear mother, Hekabe, saw her
much-loved son dragged along, begrimed with
dust, she toiV her hair, £nd shrieked aloud, and
tossed far aw^y her glistening veil. And his father,
King Priam, wailed and mourned ; and with him
all the men and women in the city, as if the
beetling .towers ofi Uios were already smouldering
in fire. *Hardly could they keep the a£ed father
from rushing through the gates; for he threw
himself in the dust, and supplicated each man b^
name : “ O Friend, forbear ! and if you love me,
let me go to the ships of the Achaians, and prSy
to this arrogant, this fearful man ! ” Thus wailed
old Priam ; and the men wailed with him. And
Queen Hekabe led the loud lamentations of the'
women. “Why,” she cried, “should I yet live?
when thou, my son, my boast, my glory, art d^ad r
the pride and blessing of all, both men and women
of the city, who honoured thee as a god ; for in
thy life^ thou wert an*honour to them all! ” Thus (
mourned his unhappy mother.*

But to his wife, the. noble, beautiful, tender¬
hearted Androrpache* no messenger had brought
the fearful tidings th^J: Hektor had rehiained with¬
out the gates. All unconscious, she was sitting in
the inner chamber of her lofty palace, weaving a
purple web of 'double woof, and Embroidering it
with many flowers. And she ' was ordering her
handfnaids to prepare a warm bath for her dear
husband, when he should return from the battle ;
poor child l little knowing that the fierce/eyed
Athene had treacherously slaifi him, by the hand

of Achilles! But when she.* heard shrieks and

• • *

288

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

lamentations from the walls, she reeled, and the
shuttle dropped from her hands. And she spake
again to her ifair-hnired maidens : Surely, that
was the cry of HektOi*’s noble mother ! Some
terrible thing must have befallen my godlike hus¬
band ! Come, then, follow me, that I may learn
what hns happened ; I greatly* fear that he has
been cut off from the city by Achilles ; for he
►would never retreat among the throng, or yield to
any man, in his high courage.”

And she rushed, all frantic, through the house,
followed by her maidens, 1 and came to the walls,
and saw Hektor dragged through the dust/towards
the black ships of the Achaians. Then darkness
shrouded her fair eyes, and she fell backwards in
a swoon. And when roused, she tore from her
head the net, the fillet, and the nuptial veil which
golden Aphrodite had given her, wheil noble
Hektor of the shining helni led her forth, from
^Cing Eetion’s palace, as hh bride. And the
sisters-in-law of her 4 dear husband gathered round
her, and raised her from the ground, all distracted
as she was and nigh unto death. When she had
recovered frorr^ her swoon, she sobbed and wailed,
crying, “O Hektor!'to the same evil fate were
we twain born, thou in Troy, and I in Thebe,
where my great father, Eetion, reared me as a
little child. Would that I had never been born,
since thou leavest me a hapless widow ! And our
son, thine and mine, ill-fated &ne ! is but a little
child o and thou canst ho mor*f profit him, nor he
be a joy to thee, since thou art dead ! A helpless
orphan, he is cut of^f from his playmates ; and if.

xxx THE SAD FATE OF ASTYANAX 289

ne pluck? the»robe of his father’s friends, one may,
in pity, jtffct hold the cup to his lips, but give him
not to satisfy his hunger apd thirst; while
other children, whose parents still live, will drive
him from tlieir feast, with taunts and 1)lows* say¬
ing, ‘ Away with thee ! thou hast no father at our
table ! ’ * Tften will he come back to me, hi^ lonely
mother* f he, who so lately sat on his father’s knee,
and fed on the choicest of food! and when sleep,
fell upon hi*n, tired with his childish play, he
nestled in a sofj bed in his nurse’s arms. B&t
now that his father is *no more, he shall suffer
untold griefs ; e^en he, whom the Trojans called
‘ Astyanax,’ King of the City, because thou, O
my beloved Lord! wert the sole defence and"
glory of their lofty walls.” Thus wailed the fair
Andromache; and the women moaned around
her. •

CHAPTER XXXI

Meantime, the Achaians returned to the shore
of the Hellespont, and dispersed to their, own
ships ; all but the Myrmidons, for them Achilles
kept together, and gave this order to them : “ Ye
Myrmidons of the fleet horsed! not ’yet will
we unyoke our f single-hooved steeds from the
chariots ; but will go near, and mourn Patrok-Ios.
And when we have satisfied our desire of wailing,
we will loose our horses and take our evening meal.”

Then thrice round the dead they dro/e their
chariots ; and Thetis stirred <the desire of lamenta¬
tion in their hearts ; and the *on of Peleus led the
mournful dirge. Laying his * blood-stained hands
on the breast of his de^r friend, he cried : “ Hail,
O Patroklos! in the House^of Hades! Lo ! I
have fulfilled'my promise, and have dragged great
Hektor to give to the dogs ; and twelye noble
sons of the Trojans I will sacrifice upon thy pyre.”
He spake, and'stretched the glorious Hektor in
the dust, beside the bier of Menoitios’ son. And
the Myrmidons loosed their neighing steeds\ and
put off their armour, and partoqjc of the rich funeral
feast* which Achilles gave them. u ,

Then the Achaian Chiefs brought Achilles to
the tent of Agamentnon, though reluctant, for his

290

ch. xxxr ACHILLES’ INFINITE GRIEF 291

*

1 *»

heart was spre. And in the tent of Agamemnon,
the loud-voiced heralds boiled water in a mighty
tripod, tho£ Achilles might cleanse himself from
the gore. But he steadfastly refused, and sware by
Zeus : “ Hay, by Zeus, Chief of all the Gdds ! it
is not fitting that I should bathe me till I have
laid Patrfcklos on his pyre, and piled a mound
abovfc^him, and shaved my head. Fon never again
shall I grieve as I do now. But let us mourn the
dead; and’afterwards we will take our evening
meal. But when the rosy-fingered, golden-throtaed
Dawn brings back the Jight, then, O Agamemnon'!
command the people to collect wood for the pyre,
and all*else that is due to a (lead man when he
goeth down to the dusky shades of Erebos.” ^
So spake the son of Peleus ; and they heard
him gladly, and prepared their meal. And when
they had put from them 'the desire of melt and
drink, they went ea£h man to his tent, and took
their rest. , •

Blit Achilles \Xy amidst Jhis Myrmidons, updn
the shore of the loud-roaring sea, groaning’
heavily. And wh^n, at last, sweet sleep visited
him—for his* strong knees were wearied by his
chase after £Iekt6r—-then the ^phantom of the
luckless Patroklos came to him, and stood over
his head, anti spake: “Sleepest'thou, Achilles?
and hast forgotten me ? Bury me ! bury me—
th'Jt I may enter the dark gates of Hades! For
now the spirits <jf worn-out men will not suffSr
me to Ije with thsm on the other side of thte Styi.
I wander helplessly round the gates of 1'artaros.
Give me thy % hand, I pray *thee ! for never can I

2$2

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

return when once I have been burn* upon the
pyre. Never again shall we take sweet counsel
together, apart from others ; for me a cruel fate
hath devoured ; and thou, too—the peer of gods—
must die beneath the walls of sacred Troy. One
thing I charge thee to do. Lay not my bones
apart from thine, since we were reared together in
the house of Peleus, when Menoitios my father
brought me from Opoeis, and thy father Peleus
received me kindly. Then let our bones rest
together in the same golden urn, thy mother’s
gift,^which she aforetime received from Dionysos ”
(Bacchus).

And Achilles answered him : “ Why, 'O dear
Brother ! hast thou come hither ? Truly, of
myself, I will do all that thou desirest. But come
nearer to me, that we may embrace one another,
and take our fill of mournful lamentation ! ” So
saying, he stretched forth h ; _s hands; but the
shadowy spirit vanished beneath the earth, squeak¬
ing and gibbering like a bat ; and he could not
grasp it. And Achilles rose quickly, and clapped
his hands together, in great amazement, and,
with a woeful cry, spake winged words : “ Then
even in the realfris of Hades there are spectres
and phantoms of the dead, although no life is left
in them ! For, all through the night, the wraith
of Patroklos, the image of himself, has moaned
above my head, charging me with what I ought
to 4 do.”

’He' 1 spake to those with him; and they all
turned again to doloroi 5 s lamenting, until the rosy-
fingered Dawn shone over them.

xxxi PATROKLOS’ PYRE PREPARED 293
* ' «

On' ths 1 next day King Agamemnon sent
MerioneJs, the charioteer of the valiant Idomeneus,
with men Vmd mules and $xes, fp cut wood for
the pyre. And when they had come to the glades
of many-rilled Ida, they busily felled the leafy
oaks, which fell crashing to the ground. And
they Ijouftd the, split wood on mules ; gind when
they’hkd finished all their task, they Sat down and
waited. Then Achilles bade the Myrmidons arm
themselves,' and mount their chariots, and go on
the way ; and an innumerable company of footfiiqp
followed them. In the midst of the long a?ray,
his comrades "bare the body of the slain. The
corpse was covered with their hair, which they had
cut off and thrown upon it. Achilles, behind them
all, went with bowed head, and deeply sorrowing,
for he was sending a noble friend to the House of
Hades.

Then the great son of Peleus thought of another
thin^ to do. He had cherished a golden lock of
his nair, to offer to the River God Spercheios ; and
he looked over the 4 ar J c blue sea, and spake :
<c My father Peleus, O Spercheios, vowed to thee
my hair, and a hecatomb, and fifty rams, when I
should return to my native land*; but now thcAi
hast in no wise fulfilled his desire^ As, therefore,
I shall never v return to my own dear country, I
may give this hair to the great hero Patroklos ! ”
So/ saying, he placed the lock of hair in his
dead comrade’s hand, and they all began a fresh
lament., , 1 1 > ^

Achilles then 4 said to Agamemnon, standing
by his side : * “ Son of Afrfeus ! the people have

294

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

already had their fill of lamentation. >Now, then,
dismiss them, and let them take their evening meal;
but let the Chiefs remain close by.” Agamemnon
hearkened to his words, and dismissed the host;
but all the nearest and dearest of Patroklos’ friends
remained, and they made a pyre, a hundred*feet
square, and, deeply grieving, placed the bqdy on
the top of ic. And they flayed many she’ep and
tcailing - footed oxen with crumpled horns ; and
Achilles took the fat from them and wrappecf.the
qorpse in it, and laid the flayed bodies around it;
and against the bier he placed jars of oil and
honey. Moreover, he cast four powerful horses on
the bier ; and of the nine house-dogs he slaughtered
two upon the pyre. And, loudly moaning, he
called his dear friend by name :

“ O Patroklos 1 all hail to thee ! even in the
realms of Hades ! I have performed all my pro¬
mises to thee ! And Hektor -1 will throw to the
dogs and birds ! ” >

But golden Aphrodite, daughter of Great Zeus,
watched over the body of Hektor, day and night,
and drove away the ravenous dogs. She anointed
him with sweet rose-coloured oil, that Achilles
might not lacerate him when he dragged him
behind his chariot. And Phoibos Apollo of the
Silver Bow shrouded the place wherfe he lay with
a dark cloud, that the hot sun might not shrivel
up his flesh. 'I

Yet the Achaians, at the pyre of Patroklos,
could got kindle the mighty fire. Thfep Achilles
bethought him of another plan. He prayed to
the North Wind and the West- Wind, even

XXXI THE WINDS FAN THE FIRE 295

*

'Boreas #nd # Zephyrbs, promising rich sacrifices
on their *altars; and he poured a libation to
them from g, golden cup, and supplicated their
aid. Iris, too, swift-footed GoddesS of the Rain¬
bow, heard •him, and sped swiftly to *the Winds.
She found them all feasting together, in the cave
of the squally West Wind. And seeing her, they
all rose** and each one prayed her to; sit beside
him ; but she would not. “ I must go back,” she
said, •“ to tdie stream of Okeanos, where the
Aithiopians are sacrificing glorious hecatombs £o
the deathless gbds, and I too must feast vyth'
them. •Achilles, hath offered fair sacrifices to the
North Wind and the boisterous West Wind, if
th^y would help him to kindle the pyre of noble
Patroklos.”

And straightway the Winds arose, and drave
the clouds before them over the sea, with a fearful
roar, and came to fertile Troy. All night long
they blew ; and al^ night long Achilles stood by
the pyre, and poured wine u{xm the earth from a
two-handled golden goblet, and invoked the Shade
of great Patroklos. # %

When the Morning Star shone fprth upon the
Earth,’heralding th& comii^g of tie saffron-robecj
Dawn, who spreadeth light over the briny sea,
then the fires died down, as ^tlte Winds went
home again, across the Thracian main. Then
Achilles went apart from the burning pile, and laid
him down and slept ; for he was weary. •

He was* soon awakened by the approrch of
Atreus’*son and the other Chiefs ; and h£ arose,
and spake to # them : “ Alceides ! and y* other

296

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH. XXXI

Councillors ! quench, I pray you, the (> embers with
ruddy wine, and collect the bones of the son of
Menoitios! They are easy to be seejj, for he lieth
in the centre <$f the pyre. And let us place them
in a golden urn, till I too am summoned to the
House of Hades ! At present, build no very large
mound, only a fitting one ; but aftenrards, when
I am nd more, then make it high and stately.”

And they did as he commanded ; and collected
the bones into a golden urn, with double layers of
fa*, and spread over it a fair linen veil. And
"they marked the site of the mound, and dug the
foundations round the pyre, and piled tbereon a
heap of earth.

CHAPTER XXXII

Then the Achaian Chiefs and King Agamemnon
woutd have* gone away ; but the noble Achilles
stayed them, and made them sit down in a gi*e^£
assembly. He*could not do enough in honouf of
his lost friend? and he had determined to hold
Games, 'of every kind, in wlych the mail-clad
Achaians might compete for prizes ; and to this
end he had brought goodly treasures from his
ships — tripods and caldrons, horses, mules, and
oxen, well-girdled women* and hoary iron.* The
first and most important contest was a chariot-
race, for which Ue offered a woman skilled in
needte-work, and k two-handled tripod, holding
two-and-twenty measures—these, for the best man*
of all; the second prize was a mare, six years old,
with a^mule foal; the third prize *was a fair new
caldron, of fqur measures#; the *fourth was tw6
talents of bright gold ; the fifth was a two-handled
vase, untarnished by the fire. '

And Achilles addressed the Chiefs, and said :
<c Ifjfthe race were in honour of some other warrior,
then should I enjer the lists, and bear away the
prize ; for ye know that my horses are inyfiortaf,
and by far the best; Poseidon, the Earth-Girdler,
gave them to, my father, attd he to me, ^ But I

29/

CH.

298 . THE BOY’S ILIAD '

1 ' 1

and they will stand aside ; for they ,have^ lost a
noble and gentle driver, who ofttimes' washed
them with cleajr water and then poured soft oil
upon their goodly manes, 1 And now they stand
with sbrrow r in their breasts, and theif full long
manes are trailing on the earth. But now, let
whoever, of you trusteth in his horses and his
strong chariot take his place in the lists! ” •»

. And first came forward Eumelos, son of
Admetos ; next came the might) Tyd^ides
(Tftomedes), with the famous horses df Tros,
whi'ch he had taken from Aineias ; then arose
Menelaos—the fair-haired, godlike Menela©s, with
Aithe, Agamemnqn’s mare, and his own horse,
Podargos ; and the fourth was Antilochos, son
of the wise Nestor, who yoked swift Pylian horses
to his chariot.

His father Nestor, # son of Neleus, stood by
Antilochos, and gave him good advice, although
he himself was wise. “Antilochos, my son,” he
said, “though thou, art youhg, yet Zeus and
Poseidon have loved thee, and made thee a perfect
horseman ; and there is little need for me to teach
thee. But the other horses are better than thine ;
knd I fear that fnuch trouble is in store for thee.
But skill and cunning are better than force, and so
one charioteer defeats another. Lcok well to the
posts at either end, and run closely by them.
Now I will tell thee another thing. Som^ six
feet above the ground, there stands the withered
stum£ # of a tree, with two white stones, on either
side ; this is the mark fixed by the swift-footed
Achilles. Do thou drive thy horses hard by this.

XXXII ‘THE CHARIOT-RACE 299

• * •

and lean* slightly to the left, and lash the off-horse
and give*him rein; but let the near horse so
closely skirt ihe post, that tl\e navs of the wheel
of thy car may seem to graze the stone ; but
beware of touching it! *

Next, Meriones made ready his chariot; and so
did the # otflers. Then they mounted the;ir cars,
and dre\V lots for their places. Great 'Diomedes,
Tydeides, drew the best. Achilles ranged them all,
side \fy side, &nd pointed to the turning-post, in the
plain, near which, he posted old Phoinix, as umpire.,
Then, at a # signal from the son of Peleus, tlfey
raised their long'whips, together, standing upright,
and lashed their horses, and encouraged them by
hand and voice. And the chariots now ran evenly
on the ground, and now bounded high in air.
But when they entered the last part of the course,
driving*towards the sea, the fleet mares of Eumelos,
grandson of Pheres, rushed to the front ; and next
came Diomedes, with the stallions of Tros, so near
that t*hey seemed *to be mounting the car of*
Eumelos, and with they* hot breath covered his
back and shoulders. • Then Tydeides would either
have gained a victory, or it would *have been at
least a dead heat ; but Phofbos Apollo was angry 3
with him, and dashed his shining ydiip from his
hand. He sh&d hot tears of fuTy, when he saw
that jthe mares of Eumelos Were still at their
utm/st speed, while his own horses slackened their,
speed, no longer feeling the lash. But, luckily for
Diomede^,Jifs constant friond Athene markka the
trick of Apollo; and, speeding after Diomedes, she
gave him back*the scourge, *^hd put fresh mettle

CH.

300 THE BOY’S ILIAD

into his steeds. She then pursued Eumelos, and
brake the yoke of his horses ; they bolted from
the course, aryl he was hurled off hiv-car into the
dust. Meanwhile, Tydeides rushed on before
the others, for Athene was shedding glory on
his head.

Ne*t to him ran the horses of Menelaos
Atreides. " Then came Antilochos, son of Nestor,
who spake thus to his father’s Pylian horses : “ I
do not ask you to contend with Tydeides,Vhose
horses Athene herself is speeding ; but I pray you to
cafixh up the chariot of Atreides; and be not beaten
by Aithe, lest she, who is only a'mare, pbur ridi¬
cule upon you.” , Thus spake Antilochos, and his
•horses were afraid, and sped on more swiftly.
But Antilochos noted a narrow gully, where the
rain had collected and had carried away a part of
the course. There Menelaos was driving, when
Antilochos turned his horses out of the way, and
followed him at one side*. Ttan Menelaos, fearing
a collision, shouted loudly to 'the son of Nestor :
“ Antilochos, hold in thy Worses ! and drive not so
recklessly! close ahead there is a wider space,
where we can pass one another! ” But Antilochos,
as if he heard him no*, drove on more madly than
ever, and plied the lash ; and the golden-haired
son of Atreus called again to him, Reproving him :
“ Antilochos, there is no man more spiteful than
thou ; away with thee! wrongly have we tailed
thee wise ! ” Then he called ^on his horses, and
they ^increased their speed, fearing tlje anger of
their lord, and quickly overtook the others.

Nt>w the Argive "Chiefs sat together, watching

xxxii AlAS ATTACKS, IDOMENEUS 301
• *.

the race as «the chariots flew along the course.
The first to see them coming was Idomeneus, the
Cretan Prince, the son of PeukaJion ; he was
sitting apart from the rest on the highest place,
and he could distinguish the voices of fhe drivers.
He noticed a chestnut horse, with a white star on
his forehead, round like the full moon ; -and he
stood up*and spake : “ Friends, and Counsellors of
the Argives! can ye see the horses as I do ? To
me, tflere ap^eareth a new chariot and horses^;
and the mares \vhich led at the start I can no
longer see.” # •

Then* the son of O’ileus, Aias, rebuked him
in boorish fashion : “ Idomeneus, why chatterest
thou before the time? Thou art not one of the 1
youngest, nor are thine eyes of the sharpest. The
same mares of Eumelos are still leading, and lje is
standing* up in the chariot.”

And the great Chief, Idomeneus, answered in
great wrath : “ Aiasj ever ready to abuse, incon¬
siderate slanderer ! thou art in*all respects inferior
to the other Argives ; for thy mind is rude.”

Thus spoke the Cretan hero. And the son of
Oi’leus rose again, to % reply with scornful words;
but Achilles himself stood forward and said : “No
longer, Idomeneus and Aias, bandy insulting words
with one another ; for it is not meet! Sit ye still,
and watch ; and soon will ye khow which horses
are leading.” He spake; and straightway Tydeides
came driving up in^his fair chariot, overlaid with
gold and %\r\, Vhich ran lightly behind the horses,
and scarcely left a trace in the fine dust the
plain. Checking his horses in 3 the ^middle of the

CH.

302 THE BOY’S ILIAD

* r i

crowd, he leapt to the ground and* claimed the
splendid prize ; and the gallant Sthenelds made no
delay, but ga-ve tQ his victorious vcomrade the
won\an and the tripod to bear away.

Next to Diomedes came the son of Nestor,
Antilochos, who had passed by Menelaos by
a clever stratagem, though his horses yyere in¬
ferior ; but even so, Menelaos had pressed him
hard, and was behind him only so far as a horse
ij from the wheel of the chariot which he dr^wefh.

But Meriones, the bravq charioteer of
Idomeneus, came in abaut the cast of a lance
behind Menelaos ; for his horses ‘were the slowest,
and he was himcelf but a sluggish driver. Last
*of all came Eumelos, the son of Admetos,
dragging his broken chariot. The swift-footed
Adjilles, son of Peleus, pitied him, and spake
winged words to the Chiefs : “ Lo! the best man
of all comes last ; but let us give him a prize—
the second ! And let Tycfcides bear away the
first!”

All the Achaiansr h/?ard him, and shouted
applause; and the noble Achilles would have
given him the mare, had r\ot Antilochos, son of
the wise and glorious Nestor, stood up in defence
of his claim : t “ O Achilles ! ” he said, “justly shall
I be wroth with' thee, if thou takeSt away the prize
which I have fairly won. Thou thinkest only of
the unlucky chance which hath befallen Eumelos
and his horses; but he ought <:o have made prayer
to the deathless gods, *and then he wbi^lcj not have
come in last of all. 4 If thou pitiest him, there is
much treasure^ in ffiy house : gold, and bronze,

XXXII MENELAOS AND ANTILOCHOS 303

• • •

and sheep, and handmaids, and horses. Give him,
if it piejseth thee and the Achaians, a still richer
prize. Butfci will not give yp the. mare ; for she
is mine." •

And Achilles smiled on his comradS Antilochos,
whom he dearly loved, and answered him: “Anti-
lochos^ I \#ill do* as thou sayest : I will give him
the brcfhze cuirass, edged with shining tin, which
I took from Asteropaios.”

Blit the # great Menelaos arose, filled with in¬
satiable * wrath .against Antilochos. The herald
placed a sceptre in his kand, and called for silence.
Then *the gofllike King made harangue, and
said : “Antilochos! thou who wert once accounted
wise—what is this that thou hast done ? Thffu
hast disgraced my skill, and discomfited my horses,
by thrusting thine, which are far worse, in front of
them. • Come then, great ^Chiefs of the Argives!
give judgment, without favour, between him and
me! That no oife may say, hereafter, that ye
favoured me for my power and rank, I will myself
set the issue before 34011.; so that no one may
reproach me. # Stand forth, Antilochos, before thy
chariot; and take, thy whip, and* lay thy hand
upon thy horses, and sweaf, by die great Girdle?
and Shaker of the Earth, that thoy. didst not, by
set purpose arid malice, hinder my chariot in the
course r

Then Antilochos made prudent answer : “ Bg
patient with me, King Menelaos! for I am younger,
and thoy grt in all respects my better. Bear with
me, then ; and I will myselfr give thee th$ mare,
my prize, rather than lose rpy place in thy* heart,

3°4

THE BOY’S ILIAD f

CH.

O thou beloved of Zeus! ” Thus spake the noble-
minded son of Nestor; and he gave the mare to
Menelaos, King of m^n.

And the heart of the ton of Atreus rejoiced,*as
the ripe eats of corn, when the dew descendeth
upon them, in the glistening cornfield. And he
spake kindly to Antilochos, and said: “Lo! at
once do I put away my anger ; for of oid thou
wert never rash or light-minded ; but now thy
reason was overborne by the impetuosity of youth.
Therefore I grant thy prayer, and will even give
thefe the mare ; for I am in no wise covetous or
unforgiving.”

He spake, and»gave the mare to Noemon, the
comrade of Antilochos, to lead away; but he took
the bright caldron to himself. And Meriones,
who came in fourth, took the two talents of gold.
But the fifth prize, a vase with two handles, was
not obtained ; and the noble Achilles gave this to
Nestor, and, standing by him, uttered winged
words:

“ Let this, O Father 1 t£ for thee an heirloom,
and a memorial of Patroklos’ funeral games—of
him whom thou wilt never see again! I .give it
to thee, since thou ma)est not contend in boxing,
nor in wrestling, nor in throwing the lance, nor in
the foot-race ; for rueful old age weigheth heavily
upon thee.” »

Nestor gladly received the splendid gift, and
spake : “ True and fitting artr thy words, dear
Friend.! My limbs are no longer sound, nor do
my arms move easily from my shoulders ; and I
must fnake way for younger men. i But I accept

XXXII • THE BOXING-MATCH 305

• '• _ •

thy free gift: with joy, and rejoice that thou dost
remember our old friendship/’

Then P^leides brought forward the prizes for
the rough, fierce boxing-match : a six-year-old
unbroken mule for the winner ; and a # two-Kandled
goblet for the loser. Then quickly rose the famous
boxer Ep£ios, atid laid his hand on the # stubborn
mule^ &nd boasted aloud : “ Let who will bear
away the goblet; but the mule is mine ! for r\o
one.Vill be£t me with his fists ! ” They all kept
silence/and feared. Only one came forward, eVeji
Euryalos, the gallant* son of King Mekistos.
The factious \v£rrior, Tydeides, made him ready for
the fight, and bade him God ^peed. The twain
went into the ring, and fell to work ; and terrible
was the gnashing of their teeth, and the sweat ran
down from their limbs. Epeios came on fiercely,
and struck Euryalos on the cheek, and that was
enough ; for all hi« limbs were loosened. As a
fish on a weedy beach,* in the ripple caused by
Boreas, leapeth high in air,»so Euryalos leapt up
in his anguish. But fhq generous Epeios raised
him again to # his feet, and his comrades led him
away, .with dragging feet and dropping head, and
spitting out black blood. • # •

Next came the terrible wrestling-match; and
for this the glorious Achilles'brought out two
cosily prizes : for the winner', a fireproof tripod,
worth twelve oxen ; and for the loser, a woman
skilled in handiwork, valued at four oxen. And
he criecj ^ 16 ud to the Aohaians : c< Stand /< 5 rward
all ye who will enter into thk contest ! ” %

Then ros* Telamonian\*Aias and the * crafty

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

306

Odysseus, and faced each other. And .they entered
the ring, and grasped each other with their strong
hands, like the ,rafters of a house, joined by some
skilful builder to withstand the wind. Their
backbones gi ated and creaked beneath the strain ;
the sweat poured down from their limbs,- and
bloody \yeals streaked their sides and shoulders,
as they struggled for the well-wrought tripod.
But neither could Odysseus throw the burly Aias,
nor Aias him. And when the Achaians grew tired
of the futile contest, Aias spake to Odysseus : “ O
thou offspring of the Gods, Laertes’ son ! do
thou lift me, or I will lift thee, and the is^ue will
be on the lap of Z^us! ”

- So saying, he raised Odysseus. But the WiJy
One did not forget his craft. From behind, he
struck the hollow of Aias’ knee, and threw him on
his back ; and Odysseus fell upon him ; and the
people marvelled. Then, in 1 his turn, Odysseus
tried to lift huge Aia§, but^could not; so he
thrust his crooked knee into the hollow of the
other’s ; and they again both fell to the ground,
covered with dust. When they rose for a third
bout, Achilles iestrained them._ “ No longer wear
)e one another 6ut, with toil and pain ! Ye both
have won, and shall receive equal prizes ! ” And
they cleansed themselves, and put on dieir doublets.

Then the noble son of Peleus offered prizes for
the foot-race ; the first, a silver krater holding six
measures, curiously chased by Si Ionian artists—by
far the most beautiful mixing-cup in the whole
world. t For the second he offered a stalled ox ;
and for the third, half a talent of gold. The

XXXII

THE FOOT-RACE

3°7

wondrous kjater Phoenicians had brought by sea,
and givet? it to Thoas, the ruler of Lemnos ; and
Euneos, son^f Jason, inherited it from Jason, who
received it from Thoas, § his # father-in-law ; and
Euneos ga\^ it to the hero Patrc klos, as a rlnsom
for Lykaon, son of Priam ; this splendid goblet
was offered* to the swiftest of foot.

Then three valiant heroes arose : Aias, son of
O’ileus ; Odysseus, the wily one ; and Antilochos 1
the best runner of the youths. Achilles ranged
them side by side, and showed them the go^l.
All started at full speed ; but Aias soon took the
lead ; and Odysseus came close behind him, near
as the shlittle to the breast of a ^ir-girdled woman
when she is weaving—so near that his breath was
warm on the back of Aias. But as they neared
the goal, the wily Odysseus prayed to the fierce¬
eyed Athene : “ O Goddess, come and helf> my
feet! ” And Athene heard her favourite, and
strengthened all his#limb£ But just as they were
about* to pounce uJ>on the prize, Aias slipped ift
the blood of the slaughtered oxen, and fell; his
mouth and nostrils were filled with dirt and gore.
So the ^patient Odysseus took the priceless krater,
and Aias the /atted ox. .But Aias, holding his
prize by the horn, and spitting the filth from his
mouth, spake to the Achaians: * 0 fie upon it! it
waSjthe goddess who betrayed me; she who is
ever near to Odysseus, as a mother to her child.”
And the Achaians* laughed merrily, to £ee him iri
such a sorry* plight. • •

Antifochos, smiling, took # the last prize^ half a
talent of gold; and he tod spake winged .words

3°8

THE BOY’S ILIAD ch. xxxii

to the Argives : “ My Friends, ye tqo will agree
with me that the deathless gods show ‘favour to
the older men. Aias is ,a little older^than I ; but
Odysseus is of a former generation. It were not
easy for any one, except Achilles, fleet of foot, to
outrun him.”

Achilles was pleased at the honour 'done to his
swiftness. ..“Not unrewarded,” he said, 4 '“shall
the praise be which thou hast bestowed on me : I
give thee another half talent of gold.”* Antifochos
received it gladly. Then the assembly'was dis¬
solved; and the Achaians jdispersed, each to their
own ship. ' 1

CHAPTER XXXIII

THL # other Achaians rejoiced at evening in the
prospect^of supper and sweet sleep. But Achilles
lay sleepless on, his couch, tossing from side tC4
side, and yearping for his dear friend. He thought
of Patro^los with deepest sorrow and regret—of
his manly character, and of all tjhat they had done
anti suffered together, battling with their enemies
and with the wasting waves. And at this thought
he shed hot tears, turning this way and that in his
anguish. Then again he would rise, and roam
along the salt sea-^hore. But when the rosy-
fingered, golden-thijbned t)awn appeared, he would
yoke fits immortal horses to *his chariot, and drag
the corpse of glorious* Hektor thrice round the
mound of the ^on 6f Menoitios, and would leave
it lying on its facf| in the dust. * But the Far-
Darter Apollo* though he* could, not save nobl£
Hektor from the hate of relentless Hera, still
loved him even in death, and kept his flesh pure
fronf all pollution.

And when the rosy-fingered Dawn brought oij
the twelfth morning, then Phoibos Apollo of the
Silver Bow spake # boldly * to the deathless* gods :
“ Ye cruel Gods ! *hath great*Hektor never •offered
rich burnt-offdrings of bulls .and goats upoft your

309

3 IQ

CH.

THE BOY’S ILIAD

* <

altars ? And will ye not even save ^ His dead
body for his wife and son, his father and his
mother, to sete for the last time ? Will ye
still uphold the cruel, insatiable ^Achilles in
his fell purpose ? Lo ! he daily draggeth glorious
Hektor through the dust, round the tomb of the
son of Menoitios ! ”

Then the white-armed goddess Hera, in great
wrath, answered him: “ O Lord of the Silver
Bow ! wouldst thou, indeed, pay equal honour to
Hektor, who was nursed at a woman’s breast, and
to Achilles, the son of a goddess ? ”

Then to her spake the Cloud-Gatherer Zeus :
“ Hera, be not angry with us other gods ! For
Kektor was dear to all the gods, and especially
to me. Never did my altar lack the goodliest
sacrifice at his hands. I will therefore send the
many-hued Iris to T^hetis, that she may come
to me ; haply she may prevail on her dear son
to restore the body of Hektor' and receive a noble
ransom.”

And the storm-swift Iris straightway sallied
forth, and leapt into the sea between Samothrake
and rocky Imbros. She found the fair -haired
goddess, Thetis^ sitting in her cave, surrounded by
all the Nymphs of the Sea. They were wailing
over the coming fate of her glorious son, who was
soon to perish far from his home and friends.
And the swift Iris spake to her and said : “Up,
Thetis! the Great Counsellor, the mighty Zeus,
calleth for thee ! ”

Then answered "the silver-footed goddess :
<c What doth he want with me, that mighty one ?

xxxiii THETIS SENT TO ACHILLES 311

I dread to^ mingle* with* the deathless gods, such
countless woes are gnawing at my heart ; yet will
I go, nor shall his words be vain.”

Then the lovely goddess 'put on a robe of the
deepest bfeck—no blacker could th^re bo—and
went forth, swift Iris going before her ; and the
waves of*the sea parted before the twain ; but
when Ibhey readied the shore, they sped Upward to
high Olympos. There they found the All-seeing
Son* of Kronos on his golden throne, and all the
immortal gods sat round him. And Athene gave
to Thetis her place beside the Great Father of Gofls
and* Men ; and Hera gave her a golden cup, full to
the brim with nectar, and spake kindly to her ;
^nd Thetis drank thereof and took courage.

The great Father then spake to her, and said :
“ Thou art come up to Heaven, O Goddess!
sorrowing and fordone with grief. But *1 will
tell thee straightway why I have thus hastily sum¬
moned thee. Foi^nine days have the blessed gods
disputed about Achilles apd the body of gr^at
Hektor. They wish to send Hermes, the Slayej*
of Argos, to steal, the *corpse away ; but this could
not be done* without thy knowledge. Go then,
with all speecj, to ?hy nobje son, *md tell him that
all the gods, and / especially, are angry with him,
because, in his fury, he doth foul despite to Hektor,
beside the high-beaked ships* and hath not restored
his body to his father. Tell him that I will send
swift-footed Iris%to King Priam, and will bid h!m
take a rioh ransom, ancj offer it to Achilles, for
the boH^.of his son, the glorious Hektor. # *

And the, silver-footed 1 goddess Thetis darted

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

312

down from the heights of many-peaked Olvmpos,
and came to the tent of her dear son. She sat
close beside him, and caressed him with her hand,
and said to him lr “ Dear Child, how long wilt thou
eat away thirje own heart with sorrowful lamenta¬
tion, taking neither food nor sleep ? Alas! not
long wilt thou be left to me ; for Death and
resistless Fate are come very nigh to thee. J bring
a message from Almighty Zeus. He saith that all
tKe gods, and he more than all, are angry with
thee, because that thou, in thy furious anger,
kfcepest the body of great Hektor at' the ships, and
dost not restore it to his "father. Come, then,
give it back, and take a splendid ransom! ”

And the swift-footed son of Peleus answered
her : “ Be it so, dear Mother, if the heart of
mighty Zeus so wills it! ”

So they ; but the Son of Kronos sent Iris to the
citadel of sacred Troy. “ Away, swift Iris ! and
bear my message to the high-mjnded King Priam.
Tell him to prepare costly gifts' that may delight
the heart of Achilles. Tell him to go alone, and
take no other Trojan with him. Only let a herald
guide the mules, and waggon, and bring back the
corpse of gloriour Hekfor to the city. No fear
of death need he have; for Hermes, the Slayer of
Argos, shall bring him safely to Achilles, and
Achilles will spare a suppliant man.” So sp^ike
he ; and away sped the light-footed Iris, and came
to^the palace of King Priam. ,

She.found him surrounded by his children, be¬
dewing their garments with hot tears ' y in their
midst wks the aged h*ing, covered all over with

xxxnr A’RANSOM FOR HEKTOR 313

• • •

his mantle ; * his venerable head, and his neck,
soiled ^ith the dust which he had thrown over
them, as h^* grovelled ©n the ground, in the
anguish of his soul. Hi$ daughters went wailing
and weeping through the palace, in mertiory of the
dear and brave one, slain by the Argives, and lying
low in death. Aud swift-footed Iris stood, before
the Kin£, and spake gently to him # ; but he
trembled at her voice.

<c Fear not, son of Dardanos ! I bring no evil
tidings, but a message from great Zeus, who
pitietlj thee and careth for thee, though he be far
away. He biddeth thee arise, and take costly
gifts to Achilles, as a ransom for*glorious Hektor.
Thou nfust go alone; but have no fear, for the
Slayer of Argos shall guide thee safely. And
Achilles himself is not ignorant, or void of sense,
and will surely spare a sTippliant whom £eus
protecteth.” *

Then Iris departed ; and King Priam ordered
his sorts to make ready his smooth-rolling mule-
car, and to bind on it tfce .wicker seat. Then he
went to his high-r<jofed, fragrant chamber, lined
with ce^ar-wood, anjl full of costly jewels ; and
he called to his wife, Queen Hekabe, and said :
“ O Hekabe ! I have a message frpm Olympian
Zeus himself, w 4 io biddeth me go to the tents or
the Achaians, and take a ransdm to Achilles for
our dear son. What thinkest thou thereon ? For
me, I am inclined, Vith all my heart, to go to the
camp of th^ Achaians.” • , "

But Hekabe, ldudly wailing, answered • him :
“ Alas ! alas ! surely thou aift demented ! thou,

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

3H

f * t

that wert once renowned for thy wisdom among
strangers and thine own people ! Woulcist thou
indeed go alqne into the presence '<?f the savage
man^who hath killed so many of thy* noble sons ?
If he do but see thee, he will show thee neither
pity nor respect, but will surely slay thee. • Nay,
then, let us remain in our halls, ancf mqurn for
Hektor! ”

And the godlike Priam replied • “ Hinder me
not, my Queen ! for I am set to go‘; and be not
tfiou a bird of evil omen ; for thou canst not
change my purpose. If«any mortal man, even a
seer or a priest, had told me to do this* thing, I
should have deenred it false ; but now I have seen
the Messenger Goddess face to face, and she shall
not have spoken in vain. If I am to die at the
Achaian ships, let me die ; let Achilles slay me
quickly, when once I *bave clasped my son to my
breast, and satisfied my longing for him.”

Then he took from Tiis beautiful chests twelve
robes for women, twelve cloaks, twelve carpets,
twelve large sheets, and ,as many tunics. More¬
over, he took a bright tripod 'of four caldrons, and
a goblet of the rarest beauty t which the Thracians
had given him, when he went «to them on an
embassy \ ev^r? this he did not spare, so eager was
he to ransom his dear son.

Then, with furious words, he drave all the
, Trojans /rom the corridor : “Away with you ! ”
he cried, “ ye worthless wretches ! ye cowards, that
bring, disgrace and ruin upon my Koqse ! Have
ye no sorrow at home, that ye must c come hither
to trouble me ? Ze;us, Son of Kronos, hath taken

xxxiii PREA.M CHIDES HIS SONS 315

* • • •

from ijfte the noblest of my sons, and ye too will
suffer from his loss ; for the Achaians will find it
easier to sky you, now he \s gone.” He spake,
and drave # 1 >hem all away with his staff; tjien he
called aloud to his sons, with chitling words,
even* to Helenos, and Paris, and noble Agathon,
and P^mmon, and Antiphonos, and Poiites, and
Deiphobos, and Hippothoos, and proud Dion :

“ Ye worthless sons! who bring shame and
scandal upon me ! Would that all of you had
perished at th£ ships, in place of the godlike
Mestor and # Troilus, femous for his war-chariot,
and H*ektor, who was more god than man ? All
these hath the murderous Aree taken from me ;
and ye *only are left to me ! ye cowardly wretcltes,
distinguished only in the dance! ye liars, base
plunderers of the goats and lambs of yonj own
countrymen ! Why do ye loiter here, and haste
not to bring out thfi mule-wain and all its fittings,
that I may start orf my journey? ” #

Terrified at their fathers furious voice, they
hastened to bring out th« beautiful new well-balanced
chariot ; and therein they placed the rich ransom
for Hektor’s body » and they put under the yoke
the hard-hocked mules, Vhich, # on a time, the
Mysians gave to King Priam^, .But for Priam
himself they prepared a car, with the horses kept
for his own use alone.

To them, thus employed, came J:he heart¬
broken Hekabe, bearing sweet wine in a golden
goblet;, gnd she ^called to Priam by name, and
said : u I bring thee wine, ^ffat thou maye»t make
a libation to • Almighty Zeus, and pray that he

THE BOY’S ILIAD *

CH.

316

would bring thee safely back from the m^dst of
the enemy ! Pray, too, that he would send an
eagle, his messenger, n strongest of ali birds and
most flear to him, on the right hand^ as a good
omen! ”

And godlike Priam answered her : “ O Wife !
I will obey thy words; for it cs good tp t raise
our hands tb Zeus, that he may have pity on us.”
Then he called to a handmaid, and bade her pour
wafer on his hands; and when he had made
ablution, he took the golden cup from the hands
of Hekabe, and stood in the middle of the court,
looking up to Heaven.

He poured out the wine, and prayed aloud :
“ O Father Zeus ! greatest and most glorious !
Lord of many-rilled Ida! grant me a welcome,
and pjty, from Achilles! And send thy bird of
good omen, on my right, that seeing it, I may go
with confidence! ”

( And Zeus, the Wise Couijsellor, heard him,
and sent the eagle, the dusky bird of prey, whose
wings spread wide as the (folding door of some
rich man’s lofty hall. And when, they saw the
Bird of Zeus on the right hand, their hearts were
glad. •;

Then the agecj Priam mounted his chariot,
and drove through the court and the echoing
porch. First went the four-wheeled mule waggon,
driven by c the skilful Idaios ; then followed the
horses, which Priam himself drave quickly through
the city. And as they came out of the gates, All-
seeing Zeus beheld thpm, and spake to Hermes,
his de&r son :

xxxm HERMES CONDUCTS PRIAM 317

% • • •

“ Hermes, my Son ! since thou lovest to guide
and ac&ompany men on their way—go, and bring
great PriarQ*to the black ships of; the Achaians ;
and take cdte that none ©f die Danaoi see him, till
he reach tfie tent of Achilles.” •

And Hermes, the Heavenly Conductor, quickly
put on his # shining feet his golden sand^Js, which
bear hifti over the wet ways of the sSa, and over
the earth, floating on the wind. And he took up
his tflagic rftd, with which, at his will, he sootheth
the eyes* of men in sleep, and rouseth them agai*i
frorr\ slumber. And when he had come to the
land of* Troy afid the shore of the Hellespont, he
took thfi # form of a princely yc*uth in early man¬
hood, With the first down upon his chin, when
youth is fairest and most gracious.

Now, King Priam and the herald and the
driver •of the waggon, wefit on their way to the
ships and tents of the Achaians. And when they
had passed the lofty tomb of Ilos, they gave the
mules* and horses water from* the river ; and dark¬
ness was spreading o^er.the land. When the*
herald saw Hermes nigh at hand, through the
gloom* he spake tq godlike Prianft: “ O son of
Dardanos! now there is netd of prudent counsel!
I see a man, and right soon, I fear, # he will tear us
in pieces. Let? us then mount our chariot and flee,
or cksp his knees and pray fof mercy ! ”

So spake the herald ; and the soul of the ol<j
man was poured olit like water ; each separate hair
rose strajgjit? upon his head, and his limbs trqmbled,
and he was horrfbly afraid# But Hermes, the
faithful Helper, took him by # *the hand and said :

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

3X8

<c Whither, 0 Father! art thou wandering,
through ambrosial Night, when all otlfers are
asleep ? Feare A st thou not the hostilc v and relent¬
less Achaians? If they should see tuee, bearing
rich treasures through the dusky gloaming, what
thinkest thou would happen to thee ? Both thou
and thy attendant would be slam ; add ye could
not defend^ yourselves. But I will do 'thee no
harm—nay, I will ward off others from thee ; for
thou art very like my own dear fathei 1 .”

, And godlike Priam was glad, and answered
him : “ Dear Son, it is as thou hast said. Surely,
some god hath sent thee to meet me, as a mes¬
senger of good—thee, a man of noble foi*m, wise
in heart, and the offspring of happy parents ! ”

Then thus spake the Guardian God, the Slayer
of Argos : “ True, old man ; but tell me now,
art thou taking goodly treasures to foreign men,
to keep safely for thee ? Or are all the Trojans
leaving holy Ilios in terror, 'since their noblest
hero is slain? ”

And godlike Priam ^ns.wered him : “ Who art
thou, O best of men ? and who are thy parents ?
thou, who speakest thus justly of my hapless

t 3 yy

son r

And the faithful Conductor, the Slayer of Argos,
spake again : “ Thou askest me of “-noble Hektor,
to try me. Oft have I seen him in the fight,
jvhen he slew the Argives, with the sharp bronze,
at the ships. We Myrmidofls looked on, in
amazement; but Achilles suffered us fiot to fight,
through his dire wrath against Agamemnon. I
am a Myrmidon, and came as a comrade of

xxxm ‘HERMES AI^D PRIAM 319

> > * '

Achilles v 'in the self-same ship; and the wealthy
PolyktoY is my father.”

Then thu£ the aged Priam: “ If thou art, in
good sooth, ,v an attendant# of Achilles, tell me of
my son ; is lie still by the ships ? or hath Achilles
torn him limb from limb, and given him to the
dogs?” 1

And rhe Guardian God replied : “ No dog or
bird hath fed on his fair body; he still lieth^
among the tfents near Achilles’ ship, these twelve
long da^s ; and, yet his flesh shows no decay.,
Achilles indeed draggeth'him, each morning, round
the torrfb of Patroklos ; yet his limbs are fresh,
as if besprinkled with dew. His fair body is
cleansed 0 from gore, and all his many wounds are
closed ; for he was very dear to the blessed gods.”

And the old King was ^lad, and spake again :
u My dear son—if ever I had him—never forgot
the great gods of Olympos ; and therefore they
have done this thing, though he was foredoomed
to die?”

Then the Heavenly Guide mounted the chariot,
and took the reins;* and filled the horses, and the
waggonTmules, with^fresh spirit ; and soon they
reached the towers and tents of* the Achaians.'
They found the men of the guard fyusy with their
supper ; but tht Heavenly Messenger lulled them
all to^sleep, and opened the gates, and brought in
King Priam, with the costly gifts. And they j
came to the lofty dwelling which the IVfyrmidons
had made for their great Prince with pla^lcs of
timber, and ’thatched it with rushes from the»mead.
All around it was a court, surrounded by a paluade;

320

THE BO.Y’S ILIAD

CH.

the gateway was guarded by a single* bar,*pf pine-
wood, which three of the Achaians could hardly
draw, but Achilles t could easily dr-ive it back.
Here^the mighty Slayer^of Argos descended from
the chariof, and opened the door for Priam and
the splendid gifts. And he spake aloud : " <c Old
Father,t / am one of the deathless god%: even
Hermes, tohom my father, the Thunderer, hath
sent to guide thee on thy way. But I will not let
Achilles see me ; for it is not fitting that a god
should greet a mortal before the eyes' of men.
But do thou enter, and C embrace his knees, and
supplicate him to have mercy, for his old father’s
sake.” Then Htrmes departed, and sped to high
Glympos.

But Priam leapt from his chariot, and left
Idaips in charge of the horses ; and the old man
went straight to the house, where Achilles, beloved
of Zeus, was wont to sit. r He found the hero
fitting apart; only two, the Warriors Automedon
and Alkinoos, were 1 in busy attendance on him.
He was still sitting .at e the table, having just
finished his meal. But no ‘lone ,observed great
Priam as he^entered. Hex quickly approached
Achilles, and clasped 4 his knees, a r nd kissed those
dreadful hands, joy which so many of his noble
sons had perished.

Achilles was seized with amazement, as he
looked pn godlike Priam ; his attendants, too,
regarded Priam with astonishment and awe, and
looked at one another*. Then Priam*, in a sup¬
plicating voice, and # with many teafs, addressed
him k “ O godlike 'Achilles! bethink thee of thy

XXXIII PRI&M’IN-ACHILLES’ TENT 321

•

father, # who, like me, is ’treading tne downward
path oiijoyless old age! He, perhaps, suffereth
wrong from his neighbours, because thou art not
there to guejd him. Yet, while th< 5 u art still alive,
he can al\fays hope to welcome his djar soa from
the land of Troy. But I, wretched man that I
am ! had 6fty sons when the Achaians came ; and
nearl^ # cll of them hath Ares swept jLwiy. One
only was left, a guardian of the city, even Hektor,
whom thou* hast slain. For him I come to thee,
bringing a countless ransom. Do thou then,* O
Achilles! reverence tjie gods, and pity me, as
thou thinkeSt on thine aged father. I endure
what nd* other mortal man hath borne ; even to
r^ise my hands in supplication to the slayer of my
children!”

Thus spake the unhappy Priam, and stirred the
heart q f Achilles to lament* for his own dear father.
And he touched thg old man’s hand, and put him
by, gently ; and ^hen «they both thought upon
their* dead — Priarfi, on gallant, godlike Hektcr,
and Achilles, on his father, and on his dear friend
Patroklos—their g-ies and wailings rang through
the house. And when Achilles had satisfied his
desire of weeding, fie rose from his seat, and raised
the aged King from the ground, 1 'pitying his hoary
head, and spake gently to him :• *

# Ah! wretched man, what evils hast thou borne!
How hast thou dared to come into the presence
of the man w T ho*has slain so many ol* thy sonf?
Thy heart truly is of iror}. But now, old man, sit
down, and let out griefs rest awhile in out hearts,
sore afflicted «as we are ; since nothing cometh of

% v. *

CH.

322 THE BOY’S ILIAD,

9

• f

our weeping. This lot, to live in pain^and sorrow,
the gods have spun for wretched mortals ; while
they themselves are free from care. , Two coffers
stand on the floor of the palace of-Zeus : one
filled with evils, and one with blessings/ Thus to
Peleus, my father, were given most excellent gifts,
from his very birth. He surpassed ali- others in
riches and honours ; he was made King of the
Myrmidons; and, mortal though he was, he had
a"goddess to wife. Yet even he has suffered’evil
things; for he had no other princely sons to
follow him on his throne,.but only me , who am
doomed to an early death. And d, alas ! cannot
tend him, in his helpless old age, but am here, in
a far-away land, a curse to thee and thy children!
And thou, too, old Sire, wert once prosperous in
wealth and in the number of thy children. But
now the heavenly poweis have brought this curse
upon thee, of battles and slaughter around thy
city ! But lament not unceasingly for thy son !
For nought will thy lamentation avail him or thee.
Thou canst not bring him back to life.”

Then thus spake Priam, the godlike sire : “Bid
me not to sit, great foster-child of Zeus! while
Hektor lieth neglected., by the* shipg ; but let me
see him with my eyes; and do thou receive the
rich ransom that I bring, and have pleasure therein,
and return to thine own country safely ! ” %

And Achilles looked sternly at him, and spake :
“'Do not irritate me, old man for I mean, of
myself, to give Hektor .back to thee. 1 For my
goddess-mother, daughter of the Ancient One of
the Ocean, brought me *a message from Zeus him-

XXXIII A’CHILLES GIVES UP HEKTOR 323

self. knaw full well that a god hath been thy
guide ; % for no mere man would dare to enter here,
or could (* 3 tape the watch, or thrust back the
heavy bolt.** Therefore, -trouble me no longer, in
my sore grief, lest I sin against Zeus, t*he Protector
of Suppliants, and spare thee not.”

Thf old King*obeyed, greatly fearing the mighty
son of Teleus ; and Achilles leapt, like a lion, to
the doorway, followed by Automedon and Alkinoos,
whqjii he honoured above all except the dead
Patroklbs. Tfyen they unyoked the horses, and
brought the aged herald into the house, and took
the ratfcom frorh the wain ; but they set aside two
robes ahd a well-made tunic, t® wrap therein the
b©dy of great Hektor. Then the handmaids
washed and anointed the dead, taking him apart,
lest Priam should be angered at the sight of his
son, and Achilles should be wroth, and slay him.

Then Achilles and his comrades lifted the body,
anointed and clothed, into the polished wain. Bujt
Achifles, deeply groaning, 'called on the hero
Patroklos by name, and. spake: “ O Patroklos*
dearest of my frtends ! be not angry with me
when thou hearest, *in Hades, that 1 have restored
the body of him who sle^ thee* For his deaf
father hath brought me a w t ortJiy ransom, of
which thou sh 5 .lt receive thy well-deserved share.”

Then he went back into the house, and spake
to Priam: “ I have given thee back thy^son ; anc^
with the Dawn, thou mayest see him with thin$
eyes. Pyt now ^let us Take our suppen * For
even the fiir-tressed Niobe # t©ok thought c£ food,
though all he!* children—six brave sons and six

3 2 4

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

fair daughters—were slain in her halls, Apollo
slew the sons with his silver bow ; and Artemis,
the great Huntress, slew the daughters. Niobe,
in her pride, had boasted that she had borne twelve
children, andrLeto only twain, Apollo and Artemis.
Nine days they lay unburied ; for the Soli of
Kronos turned the people into stone. Yet, pp. the
tenth day, the gods themselves buried therh ; and
then sad Niobe, weary of weeping, took food.
Now, on Sipylos, among the mountains that' rise
on the banks of the Hermos, sad Niobe, though
turned to stone, still weepetk and broodeth over her
sorrows, inflicted by the gods. Therefore, 0 royal
Father! let us too- take thought of supper ; and
to-morrow thou mayest mourn over thy noble son,
with plenteous tears, which are his due.”

Then Achilles arose and slaughtered a white
sheep ; and his comrades cut it up and roasted
it carefully on spits. Automedon served the bread
on the table, but Achilles v arved the meat.
When they had put from them the desire of’food
&nd drink, then Priam, g;zed with wonder at
Achilles, to see how great and goodly he was, and
how like a god ; Achilles, too looked on Priam,
the son of Darddnos, with like wonder, seeing his
majestic mien, and hearing his wise and gracious
speech. At last, Priam said to the son of Peleus :
“ Now, foster-child of Zeus, show me whePe I
may lay me down and take sweet sleep ; for scarce
have I closed my eyes since my dear son perished.”
Then the handmaids went forth from the t cfyamber,
and prepared two bedc. And noble AcMlles spake
to Priam, in a half-je,sting tone, “ Thou shouldst

XXXIII • PRIAM AND ACHILLES 325

\ » •

sleep Vithojit, dear Sire ; lest one of the Counsel¬
lors of* the Achaians come to me, as is their wont,
and see thje here, and bear word to Agamemnon;
who, indasd, might hyideb the giving back of
Hektor. * But tell me, truly, how lon£ thou
desicest to make funeral for noble Hektor ? For
so long I^nyself will refrain from battle, and will
restrain the other Achaians.” *

The old man, answering, said : “ If thou

wilt* allow *me to perform due funeral rites to
my dear son, it will indeed console me ; but Chou
knowest how we are, shut up within our walls,
and that* wood, for the pyre, is far away in the
mountains, and the Trojans ^fear to sally forth
and cut the wood. Give us, then, nine days to
bewail ourselves in the halls ; and on the tenth
day we will celebrate the funeral, and feast the
people. On the eleventh, we will build his^tomb ;
and on the twelfth, we will fight again, if it must
be so.”

And the swift-footed >Achilles replied: °It
shall be as thou desirest, and for so long a time
I will suspend the battle.” Then he took the
aged ^Priam’s* hand, by the wrisi, that he might
not be afraid > and led him into the corridor, where
King Priam and the herald hf down and slept;
and Achilles slept in the interior of the dwelling.

•Adi the other gods and noble warriors slumbered
in the night, but not so the divine Helper, Hermes ;
for he was pondering how he might bring fhe
Trojan K?ng away from the ships, unseen'by the
watchftif *sentinefe. And hp came and stood over
Priam, and spake : “ Hast thou no fear, old man,

CH.

326 THE BOY’S ILIAD ,

seeing that thou sleepest calmly in the midst^ of
enemies? If the son of Atreus, and the other
Achaians, should learn thaf thou art here, thy sons
would have to pay for 'thee a triple ranpem.”

Thfin Priam rose, in great alarm, and roused
the herald. Hermes put to the horses, and they
mounted the chariot; and he himself drove them
through the camp ; and no one marked them.
And when they came to eddying Xanthos, the son
of Zeus, Hermes, went aloft to steep Olympcs, as
the p saffron-robed Dawn began to spread light over
the earth. Bitterly lamenting, they drave the
horses on to holy Troy ; and no one observed
them until the lovely Kassandra, peer of golden
Aphrodite, looking forth from the city, saw her
dear father, Priam, coming with the aged herald
in the chariot.

And next, she saw the body of glorious Hektor
lying on the bier, in the wain 4 and at this sight,
she ran, crying and wailing, through the city.
“O ye men and women of Troy!” she cried,
** come and see Hektor, in, whom, while he was
yet living, ye rejoiced, when he ,returned from the
battle ; even Hektor, the pride and joy of the city
and of the peopk.” ,

And they all 'came forth from the city, both
men and women for their hearts<,were full of
intolerable grief. Fivst of all came his dear wife,
Andromache, and Hckabe, his queenly mother, tear¬
ing their haflr; and with loud cries-they threw them¬
selves upon the wain, and* touched his noble head.
And the crowd around them nfoaned and wept.
All day long would they have mourned and wailed,

xxxni Andromache’s lament 327

"'T. . I

but Pr?am spake to them from his chariot, and
said: “'Give a passage to the mules, to bring in
the dead ! ^ Ye shall have your fill of wailing,
when I ha vb brought him to nis house.”

They took Hektor to his famous mansion,
and laid him on a richly-wrought couch; the
minstrels sang a mournful dirge, and the women
re-echofed the plaint. And the beauteous white¬
armed Andromache, holding the head of noblf
Hektor in ller hands, began the lamentable chant :

“ Dehr, dear Husband! thou hast perishe^,
in t^e glory o£ thy 'youth, and left me a lonely
widow *in tKy halls. Our child, thine and mine ,
ill-fated* offspring of ill-fated^ parents, is yet a
little dne; and before he can come to man’s
estate, this city will have fallen, for thou, who alone
didst guard its wives and infants, art no more.
These,* and I among them, shall soon be "borne
in the black ships over the hoary sea ; and our
child will go with me into bondage to some cruel
lord—unless, before that, seme Achaian take hihi
by the heel, and hurl him from the battlements}
What woe can eq^al mine, that of thy cherished
wife?. Neither diejst thou, from thy death-bed,
stretch thy hand for me > to clasp ; nor couldst
thou say, in my ear, some precious never-to-be-
forgotten wonds, that I might for ever dwell on
them, as I weep for thee night and day.”

Thus mourned the white-armed Andromache,
with bitter tears , and all the women joined her
in the loud lament. And then Queen Hekabe,
his mother 1 , took up the mournful theme :

“ Hektor ! J dearest of hiy sons!” she .cried.

328

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

r r

“ Dear wert thou, even to the dea f hless ,gods ;
and even in thy death, they have not forgotten
thee. My other sons Achilles sent; as captives,
beyond the barren sea—to Samos, Imbros, or
reeking Lemnos ; but when he had killed thee
with his keen sword, he dragged thy lifeless'body
round the tomb of Patroklos; but v could not
bring him back to life. And, lo! now thou liest
;n thy house, all fresh and fair, like one whom the
Far-Darter hath slain with his gentle shafts !

Thus spake Hekabe, and the women jdined her
in wailing. Last of all came the lovely Helen,
like golden Aphrodite for beauty 1 , ahd continued
the mournful plaint :

•“ Hektor ! ” she said, “ best beloved of all my
brethren! Alexandros indeed is my Lord and
Master, for he it was who brought me to holy
Troy ; would that I then had died ! Now twenty
long years have passed, since I left my home in
Argos ; yet never didst thou titter a scornful or
insulting word against me ! If thy brethren, or
their long-robed wives, or even thy mother—for
thy father was ever like a father to me—if any of
them reproached me, then woxddst thou calm them
With gentle words ! ”

Thus spake the white-armed Helen, and the
people groaned aloud. But godlike Priam gave
his command to his people : “Ye men of Ti*oy !
gather wood, and bring it in wains to the city !
Ye need fear no ambush or onslaught of the
Achaians; for Achilles himself hath promised me,
that he. would restrain his peoplfe till the saffron-
robed Dawn bringeth /orth the twelfth day.”

xxxiii ' BURNING OF HEKTOR 329

• •

Tpas Piiiam ; and the people poured out of the
city. And for nine whole days they gathered piles
of wood. # But when the Child of the Morn, the
rosy-fingered Dawn, breugfit back the tenth day,
they carried out the body of glorious flektor,
and'laid it on the lofty pyre, and kindled it with
torches. ’And when the wood had bu;nt down,
they pdured the ruddy wine upon the*smouldering
ashes; and his brethren and his friends gathered
his .white Bones together, while hot tears flowed
from their ey^s. These they placed in a golden
urn, covering them Ivith purple cloths. And they
laid tile goldefi vase in a grave, and piled great
well-h2wn stones upon it, and heaped a mound.
And guards were placed all round it, lest* the
Achaians should attack before the truce was ended.
Then they assembled and partook of a noble
banquet in the palace of Priam, the foster-child
of Zeus. *

END OFJ homer’s “ILIAD

POST HOMERICA

CHAPTER XXXIV

d

As soon as the splendid funeral rites for the god¬
like Hektor had been performed, and the ten days’
truce granted by Achilles to the unhappy Priam
was ended, the Trojans withdrew to their impreg¬
nable walls, the masonry of gods. And as a man
who has lost a dear and only son, in battle or in
the cruel waves of the 1 sea, sitteth alone in his
chamber, disconsolate, and benumbed in spirit, so
the Trojans brooded in silence^ over the death of
piektor, incapable of thought or action.

The war continued, indeed ; but neither side
fought with the old spirit; arid even Achilles’
vengeful rage was somewhat sa f ed by the blood of
Hektor, and softened by the aspect and discourse
of the unhappy, Pr^am. He no longer thirsted so
eagerly for murderous war. He knew that, after
Hektor’s death, he too must fall, and mingle his
bones with those of his unforgotten/riend Patroklos.

And in the city, after some days, Polydamas,
who had often given wioe but unavailing counsel
to great Hektor, called, an assembly of the Trojan
elders and chief warriors; and they gathered

330

ch. xxxiv POLYDAMAS’ ADVICE 331

w f

together in*the palace of great Priam; there he
rose and made harangue : “ Ye noble Chiefs and
Counsellors,, of the Trojans! it is meet that we
should betriuik ourselve* of the future, and con¬
sider how'we may save our wives, our children,
and ^ourselves, from the evil doom of death.
Hektor is c deadj he, the bulwark and pride of
Troy, the light of our eyes, the strength and joy
of our hearts, is now a shade in dusky Hades, 1
What wait^we for? Whence will hope arise?
Which of the gods will save us from cruel Hera’-s
unrelenting hate ? Even Apollo could not save
great Hektor, whom he loved.

“Now, goodly Paris is the eldest son and the
foremost of the Trojan Princes. Will he himoelf
say, that he can fill his mighty brother’s place ?
Will he meet Achilles, or the twain Aiantes, or
Diomedes, peer of gods ?

<c Once before, I gave wise counsel to Hektor ;
but the gods took 2\vay his wits, and he would not
hearken ; and the ^Trojans trusted in his might.
I now, once more, show, you the only way of
safety. Let us giv£ up Argive Helen to her law¬
ful husband, and with her the treasures which Paris
wrongfully took away from the pal&ce of Menelaosf
Can we hope that great Zeus^, the Avenger of
Wrong, will save the sinner from his due reward? ”
So spake the wise and prudent Polydamas, son
of Panthoos ; anc^ the best men of the^ assembly
applauded. Antenor, and great Aineias, the son
of Aphrodite, rose and gave honour to godlike
Polydamas*,* and offered the «ame counsel to the
Trojan elders.* But no one. hearkened to them;

33 2

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

for they were thought to be friejndly to the
Achaians; and Antenor, especially, was looked
upon as a traitor.

Then, in fierce w r ath, arose the goodly
Alexandros (Paris), rejoicing in the favour of
Aphrodite, the laughter-loving Queen of Beauty,
and spake winged words to them • “ vVho. of the
noble horse-taming Trojans, the fellow-country¬
men of godlike Hektor, will hearken to you y vile
cowards that ye are ? In your woras I hear the
voice of the Achaians, to whom ye look for count¬
less gifts, the reward of j our treachery. Beware
lest we cast you out of the city, to meet your
doom at the hand of Achilles, and to glut Achaian
dogs! Once before I have said, that I care not
for Helen’s treasure ; if the Achaians will receive
that , let them take it, and sail home! But Helen
herself I will not giv£ up, so long as I see the
light of day ; for she is dearer to me than my
own soul. Be men, then, ye Trojans! and mind-
tul of your ancient valour ! Hektor, indeed, is
'dead, the peer of gods ard none may equal him.
But many noble warriors remain, many and brave;
and our walls are strong. And /, who am Chief
of the Trojans—I will* fight to the death ; and let
Achilles himsejf beware of my arrows ! Moreover,
I will tell you one thing. We shall not fight
alone. The mighty daughter of murderous Ares,
Penthesileia, the great Queen of the Amazons, is
coming to our aid, and is now near at hand ! ”

So spake, in his folly, vainglorious Paris ! and
all the. young men shouted aloud, and clamoured
for war. And even 1 the wiser men, and sad Priam

xxxiv QUEEN PENTHESILEIA 333

himself,• were astonished and glad when they heard
speak of Penthesileia. She, as had been said, was
Queen of tfat Amazons, *a race of warlike women,
who lived the banks%of the wide-flowing river
Thermodon, in the region of the CaucUsos. How
formidable were those female warriors, may be
learne^ frofn the.fact that one of the most,arduous
of the ‘^Labours ” of Herakles (Hercftles) was to
fetch the famous girdle of Hippolyte, their Queen*
whicfl she wbre as an emblem of her exalted ragk.
Penthesileia had to leave her country and seek
absolution ^ for the involuntary homicide of her
sister, also called Hippolyte, who was killed by an
arrow from her bow, which she had aimed at a
stag in ’the forest.

On the morning after the conference of the
Trojans, Penthesileia entered the gates of Jroy,
wearing a panther’s skin over her shoulders, and
holding a Scythian bbw in her hand. The Trojans
were struck dumbVith amazement as they gaze^
on the majestic form of 'the glorious queen.
Endowed by the gods .with the stature and
bearing of Ajhen<?, her face, when she smiled,
had all the charm f )and grace and loveliness of
the Cyprian Queen. She btough^'with her twelve
of the noblest Amazons, who shpne, about her like
lustrous stars &bout the silver Moon. Foremost
of these were Chonia and Polymusa, Derione,
Evandra, and An^andra, Antibrote, and > Thermo^
dossa—all equal to men in battle, and goodly as
the Graces, daughters of great Zeus. 3

Old Priam himself was entranced by her*beauty
and ^bewitching grace ; and, Jls he looked on her

334

THE BOY'S ILIAD

CH.

powerful frame and martial bearing, hope was once
more kindled in his weary and dejected heart. He
received the noble ally, whom he thought the gods
had sept to his aid, like a> long-lost daughter, and
installed her in the most magnificent chambers of
his splendid palace. He also gave a great banquet
in her honour, and enriched her with the costliest
gifts from his royal treasury—gold and bronze,
and the most beautiful robes, the work of Sidonian
wo t men. And she, on her part, promised him to
meet and vanquish Achilles, and to, burn the ships
of the Achaians.

All night long, the Trojans feasted joyfully,
unmindful of their coming doom ; and the high
halis rang with their songs of victory and triumph.
Priam and his guest, Penthesileia, retired early,
amidst shouts of applause ; he was wearied by the
weight of age and sorrow ; and she , tired v by her
long journey, sought the repose which should fit
fy?r for the mighty struggle of the morrow.

And when the rosy-ankled Erigeneia (Aurora)
suffused the vault of hea\ en with a ruddy light,
then Penthesileia rose ; and her sister Amazons
brought warm water, in a huge caldron, and bathed
therein the mighty lifnbs of their great Queen.
After th6y had taken their morning meal, they
armed themselves for painful war. Penthesileia
put on the bright armour which her father, Ares,
( }jad givtn^her—her shining, richly-wrought double
puirass; her golden greaves; her sword, in its
sheath-of silver and ivory; her golden helmet,
with its horse-hair -crest — and took her strong
double-plaited shield^ round as the moon at full.

rcnthebiieia and he’ Amazons —Page 335

xxxiv PkOWESS OF PENTHESILEIA 335

Then she chpse from her rich armoury two javelins,
the gift*of Eris (Strife), and went forth from the
Skaian Gate^ followed bydier sister Amazons.

She was*no longer th# lovely maiden wijh the
pleasant smile ; but like the fierce Enj*> (Bellona),
the Goddess of War ; and no one dared to look
her in the /ace, for her glance was like the light¬
ning of *Cloud- gathering Zeus. At the gate she
mounted a fierce charger, the gift of Oreithyeia,*
wife $f the ^orth Wind, Boreas, and rode fo^th
into the •plain. # But the aged Priam poured a liba*
tion # to Almighty Ecus, and prayed to him
earnestly to gra’nt her a victory and safe return.
And ZeiJs sent an eagle holding a dove in its claws,
oruthe Ifft hand; then Priam groaned, as he saw the
omen, for he knew that he should see her no more !

Meantime, the Achaians were pouring jforth
from their ships, like bees from their fragrant
hives ; and PenthesSeia rushed on to meet them.
And when they sa\f her dashing over the plair^
like a % bright meteor, they Were confounded and
dismayed ; for they thought that some deathless
god had come # do\yn to aid the Trojans. And
Penthesjleia, charging the front rank of the
Argives, slew Molon and P£rsinos**Uissos, Lernos,'
Hermonides, and Elasippos,* all, mighty warriors,
and many othef brave men. Derione and Cleone
following close behind their Queen, Derione
slew Lagonos, and^ Cleone killed Menipp^s ; then,
Podarkos, when he saw his dear friend fall,
rushed furiously a^ Cleonef, and slew her wkh the
sword. TBut Penthesileia marked hint, and hurled
her javelin at* his shield; ,andjt passed right

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH

336

through, and pierced his heart; and his coftirades
bare him to his tent to die.

Yet the Achaians held their ground, and fought
stoutly ; and many of Penthesileia’s. brave com¬
panions we^e slain; for the mightiest of the
Achaian warriors would attack them, though fear¬
ing the Queen. So godlike Merionts slew the
fair Evandia and Thermodossa ; and Aias/the son
of Oileus, slew Derione ; and Tydeides cut off
the heads of Alkitheia and Derim^heia. ^ The
slaughter of Trojans also went on, and Sthenelos
killed the brave Kabeiros. « Then Paris, furious at
the slaying of his dear comrade, hurled his spear
at Sthenelos ; but it missed him, and killed*Evenor,
who stood behind him. Multitudes of Achaians
and Trojans fell, on either side; for Kudoimos
(Tumult) and the fell, death-bringing Moirai (the
Fates') urged them on, Rejoicing to see the ground
drenched with the blood of heroes.

But nothing could stay |he fierce onset of
fWthesileia, roused to fury by her intolerable grief
*at the slaughter of her faithful bodyguard of daunt¬
less Amazons. She drove t^e terrified Danaoi
before her, as a lioness, robbecfc of her cub^driveth
\he cattle ovei^the mountains. She brake their
strong phalanx; ^nd, shouting with a fearful voice,
assailed them with insulting threats*: u Ye dogs ! ”
she cried, iC now shall ye pay with your blood for
all the^woes ye have inflicted.,on royal Priam!
Not one of you shall escape, to bring joy to his
wife c and children. No mound shall be heaped
over your biSried ashes ; but ye shall bef the feast of
the wild beasts, of the dogs and the birds, in the land

xxxiv ACHAIANS SLAUGHTERED 337

of Ttcfy,! Where now is your Atakides ” (Achilles),
“ where, your Tydeides, where your mighty Aias ?
They dare npt meet me face to face ; for I should
quickly seaci their souls to Hades ! #>

Thus site raved, while the Danaoi qpailed # before
her and her fleet horse bare her along their ranks,
brandishing in her strong hand now a ponderous
axe, £nd now a javelin. The Trojans* rejoiced
mightily when they saw the proud virgin raging
amoifgst the enemy, in the thickest of the ranks,
like a whirlwind of Boreas among the forest ti^es
in winter when the.sqn enters Capricorn. And
one said t6 hris comrades : “ O Friends ! surely, at
last, the.fnighty Thunderer remembereth our King,
eyen wide-ruling Priam. I see with my eyes .not
a mortal maiden, but Athene herself, or the
murderous Enyo, who will surely burn the black
ships, jvhich have brought^such woe to the knd of
Troy ! ” So spak^ one of the Trojans, a foolish
man ; for as yet neither Achilles, nor Aias, nor
Tydeides knew oT the coining of Penthesiiete.
They were lingering ajpout the tomb of Patroklosi

And the long-rgbed Trojan dames looked down
from the toweVs a<*he wondrous deeds of Penthe-
sileia. * Then guddenly a rryartial ^rdour seized th^
heart of Hippodomeia, the daughter of Antima¬
chos and wife ,of brave Tisiphofios*; and she cried
aloud and said : “ O my Sisters and Friends ! rouse
in your hearts the courage of the men # who are
shedding their blood for their country afid for u&
We too hatfe strength and spirit; we have eyes as
keen, afid •knees ^ strong, a$ theirs.* Behold that
glorious Maiden Queen! *She is fighting not for

338 THE BOY’S ILIAD ' ch.

her own people or city, but for a foreign king and
nation ; and she is far superior to any man ; but we
"deplore the loss of husbands, brothers, and sons,
and yet look idly on 1/’

Then, a fierce desire for war seized on all who
heard her ; and they threw down their woo], and
their work-baskets, and began to arm ^themselves.
Then these, too, would have perished before the
walls, had not wise Theano, wife of Antenor, and
priestess of Athene, restrained thenv “A’-e ye
mrd, unhappy ones ? Whither are ye .rushing,
weak and inexperienced in the use bf arms ? How
can ye meet the terrible Danaoi, lpng practised in
deadly war ? The Amazons, indeed, are-reared to
fight from their very childhood, being subject /to
no men ; and Penthesileia is the daughter of
murderous Ares, and no one can equal her.
Therefore, return to your proper work, and leave
the care of war to men.” Then they obeyed, and
looked on from the walls an<j towers ; for Pen¬
thesileia was still slaughtering the Achaians.

Then would the ships of the Danaoi have again
been burnt ; but Aias heard the cries of the routed
army, and he spake to Achilles : u O son o^ Peleus,
J hear the din 9f furious battle! Let us then go
and save our comrades, lest the Trojans slay them
and burn our shipo! ” And the mighty Aiakides,
too, heard the clash of arms and the cries of the
wounded, and obeyed the voice of sturdy Aias.
-They quickly donned their arms and hurried to
the field, filled with strength and ardour by the
shield - brandishing goddess Atrutone* • (Athene,
Minerva), the Unwearied One. ,

xxxiv -ACHILLES & PENTHESILEIA 339

% # • . . • 1

When the fearless Penthesileia saw them, rag¬
ing like lions through the Trajan ranks, she flew
to meet them. And first, she hurled her mighty
spear at fclie shield of Aiakides, b'ut it leapt back
from the* work of the god Heph^stos.* Next,
she«sent a sharp javelin at Aias, and assailed them
both with haughty words and threats : “ My

spearS,she cried, “ have missed theij* mark ; but
I will yet rob you both of your dear life. Ye
boajt to be the foremost of the Achaians. Come
near, then, that ye may prove the might fcf a
daughter of insatiate i^res ! ”

But fhe* twain heroes only laughed at her.
They *fow that the javelin had merely torn the
silver «greave of Aias, and had not touched his $kin.
Aias took no further notice of Penthesileia, but
turned upon the mass of the Trojans, leaving the
son ojF Peleus to deal wit 4 i the Amazonian«Queen.
And great Achilles addressed her with winged
words : • •

“O Woman ! # with what unseemly words dost
thou assail us , the m<jst excellent of mortal men,
who are of th? blood of Loud - thundering
Kronion! Even glorious Hektar feared us, and
fell beneath Qiy spear, bra^e as ^e was. Mad ?«rt
thou to threaten us ; for the last day is coming to
thyself; nor*will thy father, AreS, save thee from
mjfchand.” •

Thus saying^ he rushed upon her, holding his
long-shafted spear before him, and srmfte the war¬
like Maid'above the heart. And the dark# blood
gushed 'forth, £hd all her # limbs jvere loosened.

Her mighty .axe, red withAchaian Hood, Veil from

• •

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

340

her feeble grasp; and 'the Black veil of ‘death
shrouded her brilliant eyes. But she still breathed,
and was pondering in her dear soul, whether with
her last strength to meet the onset of Achilles, or
to clasp his l^nees and promise a countless ransom.

But the gods had otherwise decreed; for
Achilles transfixed both her and her sv r ift-footed
steed with „ his furious spear. There T ay the
glorious Maid, stretched on the ground, with her
fair head resting on her noble charger. Her whole
body was palpitating round the cruel spea»\ 'But
she was grand and beautiful., even in death.

When the Trojans saw her fall, they fled" for
safety to the city, as the wave-tossed mariners flee
frort; the storm to the nearest haven.

And Achilles boasted over her, with evil words :
“ Lie thou there, miserable girl ! in the dust, a
prey to the dogs and birds ! Who led thee to
match thyself against me ? Vainly thou thoughtest
to gain great praise, and rich reward from old King
Priam, for having slain so many of the Argives.
But the blessed gods have npt aided thee against
us y who are the great glory of the Danaoi, and the
bane of Troy.” 1

^ So saying, he jirew the spear from her lifeless
body. And he took from her noble head the
glittering helmet, shining like the rays of the sun,
or like the lightning-flash of Loud-thundering
Zeus. Yet even so, lying in the dust and blood,
hur lovely*-face shone like the evening star ; and
the Achaians were astounded when thfey saw her
lying there, ir / aspect a like fair Artemis, "sleeping,
when wearied by the chase. For fair-crowned

xxxiv ACHILLES’ REMORSE 341

% . 9 • 1

Aphrodite •had made her lovely even in death.
And even Achilles was sorely ’distressed in mind,
that he h^d lulled her, £nd not taken her home tc
be his wife ih Phthia ; Sb beautiful was she; in face
and form, and like the deathless goddesses.

Ares, ljer father, was moved to wrath at the
sight •qf his ncJble daughter lying in her blood.
He rushed down from Olympos to the plain of
Troy, and # would have brought an evil day for the
Argives, had not Zeus terrified him with* his
thunder and his fiery bolts. Then Ares paused ;
for*h<j dared not resist the almighty Thunderer,
who w^yuld have hurled him down to lie among the
Titan$, had he disobeyed. •

But the son of Peleus ceased awhile from battle,
as he gazed with anguish and with tears on the
lovely maiden whom he # had slain. And* as he
wept,*the brazen-faced scoffer, Thersites, looked at
him with a scornful glance, and mocked him thus :
“ 0%illustrious fiero ! what evil genius hath $le-
luded thee, that thou mournest over the Amazonian
Queen, who made sucft havoc in our ranks ? Better
were it if hen strong spear had pierced thy craven
heart { Degenerate man ! where is now thy valour?
where thy good sense and* thy firmness as a leader
of men ? ” • •

Thus he reviled the gr^t Achilles. But he ,
rising in his fury from the ground, struck the base
scoffer with his % strong fist on the che^k* and e^r ;
and all his teeth dropped out ; and he fell # head¬
long in*the dust. Blaclc blood gushed «from his
mouth ; and^ soon his coward soui fled from his
lifeless limbs. And the brave. Peleides thus ad-

,342

THE BOY’S ILIAD ch. xxxiv

' r

dressed the lifeless corpse : “ Lie there r.i the dust,
for the punishment'of thy shameless words ! It is
not meet for thee to oppose a better man. Once
before Jthou didst move the heart even of patient
Odysseus, by thy slanders. Begone, and pour out
thine insults on the dead ! ”

Of all ithe Argives, Tydeides alone was angry
with Achilles for having killed Thersites, for he
was his kinsman. And he would have raised,, his
han<j against Achilles ; but the sons of the Achal-ans
th/onged about them, fearing lest the bravest of
their warriors should meet in deadly conflict.

Meanwhile, the twain Atreidai, who saw and
pitied the lovely Penthesileia, restored her body
and all her arms to King Priam, who had sent an
embassy to them. And the Trojans, deeply griev¬
ing, reared a lofty pyr^, for the queenly Maid,
and her fair -body was devoured by the consuming
flame. They placed her ^shes in a golden urn;
and,, they paid due honour to Ares and his daughter,
by erecting a tower, near to the sepulchre of the
mighty Laomedon; and the bodies of her fair
Amazons, who had followed he/ to death, were
buried near to their glorious Queen.

CHAPTER XXXV

And when the glorious light of the unwearied Sun
had illumined the tops of the echoing mountayis,
the AcHaians indeed rejoiced, and magnified their
hero, Achityes^; but the'hearts of the Trojans were
filled wi f th fear and sorrow. And the aged
Thymoites thus addressed the weeping Trojans :
“O Co*untrymen and Friends ! I see no remedy of
baleful war, now that Peleides hath slain the
warlike Penthesileia, whom all other Argives
feared,* for she showed like a goddess come down
from Heaven. Lef us then take counsel for the
futur^, and considej whether to fight on, or to flee
from our city, since we cannot resist the cruel
Achilles.” • •

And the .son/of Laomedon 4 King Priam,
answered him : u £et us not flee, in fear, from
our native city ; nor yet fight aj*a distance frorfi
it, but from the walls and towers. I bring you
good tidings,* in the midst # of your woe. The
high-minded Memnon, King of ^Ethiopia, the land
of black men, is*coming to our aid witl^ a mighty
host Endure, then, a little longer ! for it were
better tp.fall in ^loriou^* battle than to flee and
live in dishonoured exile, u\ a foreign land.*’

§o spake * the aged King. ^ But the wise

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

344

Polydamas was not pleased at the continuing of
the war; and he ..made harangue, and said: “If
mighty Memnon hath clearly promised thee, O
King ! I do not grudge tQ receive hi m in our city.
But I fear that he, too, will perish, with his army,
and bring fresh loss on us ; for the power of the
Argives is greatly strengthened.” , '

Then arose Paris, and abused Polydamis, as he
Tyas wont, with bitter words : “ Polydamas, unwar¬
like coward as thou art! dear to th ; y hearh are
fear and flight. Go, then ! abstain from battle,
and sit idly at home ! but others will gather round
me in arms, until we reach the end of cruel'war.”

And Polydamas^ in great wrath, answered him:
“ O thou most abandoned of men ! thy rash folly
hath brought this calamity upon us; and it is thou
who wilt prolong this sad war, till thou seest thy
country devastated and destroyed.”

Paris then answered nothing; for he knew, in
his heart, what woes he had', brought on the
Trojans ; but death seemed to him better than to
be separated from godlike Helen.

Soon afterwards, the mighty Memnon, King of
the dark - coloured ^Ethiopians, arrived with a
numerous force'. And the Trojans, standing
around, looked on, with the joy which storm-
tossed sailors feel, when they behold the star of
revolving Helike (the “Great Bear”). More
than all,,King Priam rejoiced ; fcr now, again, he
^nought it possible to burn the Achaian ships and
slaughter the men who were besieging his city.
He entertained Memnon with abundant feasts;
and told him of all that the Trojans had suffered

xxxv ARRIVAL OF MEMNON 345

% % » * *

at the* hands of Achilles and the Achaians.
Memnon, on the other hand; told of his own
mighty dejeds ; of his victories ow the Solymoi,
who had fought to bar* his march to Troy ; and
Priam listened, with joyful hopes. At* the banquet,
the Trojan King pledged his guest in a golden cup,
which* Hephaistos made for Zeus when *the lame
god weclded Aphrodite. Zeus gave it t*o Dardanos,
and Dardanos to Laomedon, and he to Priam.
Then Memnon spake, thanking his royal hpst,
and said : “ L is not becoming, at a feast, to
boast of Qne’s warlike *deeds ; but to-morrow you
shall set; whether I am worthy or not. But now
let us tliink of sleep ; too mush wine is not good
f6r a man who goeth forth to battle on* the
morrow.”

Meanwhile, the deathless gods were assembled
on Ojfympos in the halls of Zeus, Lord of the
Lightning, who made harangue and said: “To¬
morrow’s light w£l behold a fearful slaughter a
great destruction of men aild chariots ; and let no
one approach my kneek t© beg for the life of son
or friend ! foy unj/itying are the resistless Fates ! ”
Then ^11 the gods* retired, in sorrow, and sought
relief in sleep.* • / #

But when bright Eosphoros (Lucifer), Bringer
of the Dawn,‘roused from the couch the sweetly
sleeping reapers, then rosy-fingered Eos (Aurora)
mounted the spacious firmanent all unwillingly ;
for she was; the mother of King Memnon. The£
the Trpj^ns, ancj the n£wly - arrived ^Ethiopians,
and all the allies of King Pj-jjam, arnjed themselves,
and poured 'forth from the gates like a black

346 THE BOY’S ILIAD • ch.

ft , r r

thunder-cloud, and filled the plain. The Argives,
seeing them from 'afar, were alarmed ; but they,
too, donned thoff armour; and went Ycrth to the
battle, Jr us ting in the strength of Peleidfs, peer of
the huge Tifins, in his divine armour, effulgent as
the lightning of Zeus. On the other side,' the
glorious Memnon, son of Aurora, 'marcfied^among
the Trojans like another Ares rushing to the war.

< Then Peleides slew Thalios and the blameless
Mejila, and many others of the Trojan heroes.
Memnon, terrible as death-bringing Fate, overthrew
Pheron and godlike EreutFios, who had. come to
Troy with Nestor, and other warlike .tianaoi.
After spoiling these of their armour, Memnon
attacked old Nestor, son of Neleus; but when
Antilochos, the old man’s son, saw the peril of his
dear father, he hurled t his spear at Memnon,
missing him, indeed, but smiting his friend, the
^Ethiopian Pyrrasides. .Then* the son of the
D^wn, great Memnon, rushed <rn Antilochos, and
struck him in the breast, and pierced his heart.

Great was the grief of r thfe Argives, as they saw
Antilochos fall dpad; but most of ally black sorrow
darkened the heart of his dear father, whom he
Md tried to sav^ The afflicted old man cried
aloud to Thrasymedes, his other son, and besought
him to drive off the, slayer of bright Antilochos
from the corpse. “ Let us even risk death,” said
Nestor, <v tp save him from the dogs and birds ; if
pale fear take hold of thee, thou art ,no son of
mine.’* .Thrasymedes rah up swiftly at hi? father’s
call, and r Pheneas also‘hurried to the fight against
lordly Memnon ; f but* little availed’ their long

xxxv MEMNON SPARES NESTOR 347

spears, ft>r E^s turned away their points from the
body of Memnon, her dear son. Then the warriors
twain feared* fhe might of Memnon, and halted in
their advance* like jackafe wfiich pursue the; stag,
but retreat before the raging lion. The old man,
Nestor, seeing his sons give way, cried, in his
agony,*to his friends and followers, and implored
them to repel the enemy. So terrible was his
distress, that he left his chariot, himself to meet
great* Memnon ! Then would the Pylian King^—
contrary to the* decree of the Fates—have fallen 1
beside his, spn, had not the noble Memnon
reverenced and pitied him, as being of the same
age with his own father. Memrton thus addressed
him with mild words : “ Old man ! it were hot
honourable for me to fight against thee, my
senior ; for I know how tp be wise. Thoy too,
men say, art by no means unwise. Depart,
therefore, from the bloody field ; lest, of necessity,
I unwillingly stretch thee by the side of thy de^r
son!

And the old man answered him : “ Idle words
are these whioh thou hast spoken; for no man
would call me foolish for wishing to fight against
the pitiless slayer of my ion. $Vould that my
strength were still as of yore! then* shouldst thou

feel my spear ; but now-So spake the aged

Nestor, and retreated a little way. Thrasymedes,
too, the spearman, and bold Pheneus 4 departed,
fearing the might of godlike Memnon.

So, like # a mighiy roaring flood descending from
the mountains, did the sonj of Aurora and his
warlike ^Ethiopians drive the routed Argives to

CH.

348 THE BOY’S ILIAD*

* 99 • #

the shore of the Hellespont. Then «wise* Nestor,

deeply lamenting,* approached great Aiakides, and
said to him : V O Achilles, great bulwark of the
Argiv # es ! Memnon hath*'slain my son ^ntilochos,
and I fear that he will be a prey to the dogs ; but
do thou, I pray thee, follow us, and show thyself
a friend /t veil to the dead.” * f

Thus sj 3 ake he, and sorrow filled the 'heart of
Achilles ; and he turned away from the Trojans,
wljom he had been slaying, and hastened tomieet
great Memnon.

As Achilles came n£ar f him, to , be^m the
conflict, Memnon lifted a mighty huge stone,
which the husbandmen had placed in the^field for
a boundary, and hurled it at Achilles! He,
nothing daunted, smote the son of Aurora, with
his long spear, in the right shoulder. But
Memnon, though wounded, rushed on the’son of
Peleus, and struck his arm, so that blood gushed
opt»from it. Then Memnon f ,spake to him with
haughty words * “ Wretch 1 why dost thou afflict
the Trojans, and boast thy Self the best of mortal
men ? Thou hast an ImmortS 1 for, thy mother, a
Nereid ; but I too am descended from the gods,
&nd am the sort, of E6s (Aurora), Whom the lily-
voiced Hespetides nursed by the streams of
Okeanos. Therefore shalt thou meet thy death at
my hands! ”

And*the swift-footed son of*-Peleus answered
liim : “ \Vitless art thou, to compare 4 thyself with
me y who am the better,’in birtlj and ir) strength
and stature. \The great gods of Olympos honour
the Nereids, and especially the wise Thetis, 4 my

xxxv DEATH OF MEMNON 349

^ . *

motftef^who sheltered Dionysos when he fled from
the cruel Lykourgos; and sfle comforted the
skilful artificer Hephai^tos when he fell from
Heaven ; yea! and she released the L'oud-Thunderer
from his chains ! Soon shalt thou find that 1 she is
a goddess, when my spear hath pierced thy
heart! ” ^

Then> the twain drew their long swords, and
rushed to the conflict, and beat on each other^
shields, the work of Hephaistos, like hammers on
an anvil ; and earth and sky resounded with the
din. And from afa»* the blessed gods looked on,
some favouring* Achilles, and some the glorious
Memnop. The silver-footed Thetis watched the
fight, in deadly fear for her son ; and, on ,the
other side, the rosy-fingered Eos, the mother of
Memnon, looked on with trembling for him.
And there arose a bitter 3 dissension among the
~ ^mortal gods; when suddenly twain Fates, a
oright and a black*, appeared to them ; and^the
black one approached Memnon, while the bright
one stood near Achilles ; whereat some rejoiced;
and others mourned.

Meanwhile, 1 the two heroes wefre fighting, not
like men, but like the grim Giants *>r the Tartarean
Titans, with swords and stones # and spears. So
fought they ; and, though wounded, they ceased
not ;• and the ground was wtt with their blood.
Then, at last, Achilles pierced the heart of^godlike
Memnon ; and he fell lifeless, in the bloody dust.
The Myrmidons spoiled him of his armour and
the Trojafts fled. 1

CHAPTER XXXVI,

t

The rosy-fingered Goddess of Dawn, Eos (Aurora),
*the afflicted mother of brave King , Memnon of
^Ethiopia, groaning at the sight of her d,ead’ son,
wrapped herself in clouds,, and thick darkness
covered the earth. , » ' *

Then she summoned the Winds ; ynd they
carne, headlong, to the plain of Troy ; and raised
the body of her son, and bare it through the misty
air. And the ^Ethiopians did not leave the body
of their great Leader, hat followed the Winds, for
the goddess led them ; and they laid the slain hc»y^
in a grave, in Mysia, by the ,deep-flowing waters
df’iEsepos. Then tjie dark-skinned ./Ethiopians
< buried their King, with plenteous tears ; and there, in
their pleasant grove, the* fair-haired Nymphs wailed
over the son of the golden-th/oned Erigeneia (the
vEarly-Born, thq Dawn^of Morning) L And the Stars
of the Pleiades'wept with them; and the lofty
hills, and the'waves of Esepos, r x c - echoed * their
mournful plaint. 1 (

Theji Eos uttered a sorrowful lamentation : “ O
**my Son*” she said, “ now that thou art gone,
never again will I give light to the Imfhiortals; but
I will go doyn to the yawning £ulf of die infernal
deities, where Darkrfess and Ch^os reign, and

. 350
*

ch. xxxvi DEEP GRIEF OF EOS 351

whkte* thy soul, C/my beloved ! hath flown from
thy lifeless form. I am not lover than a Nereid,;
but in vain Jiave j illuminated all things, for Zeus
hath withdrawn my light ; therefore will I seek the
gloomy Shades. Let r fhetis henceforth bring the
Daji to gods and men ! ”

But Ze*is, when he heard her saying that she
would iio longer shed light upon th* world, was
greatly incensed : he thundered terribly, and
uttened dbe threats against her. And she, in
terror, Jiastened unwillingly back to Olympos/l^d
by the gentle Hours # ; /or greatly did she fear the
wrath £>f Zeus. •

But #the Trojans, cooped ug within their walls,
Vere sick at heart, for the loss of godlike Merruion.
The Achaians, too, though rejoicing at his death,
were grievously afflicted by the loss of the noble
Antilqchos, the beloved s*$n of the wise anfl aged
Nestor. The bereaved old father and the spear-
bearing Pylians buried t?he hero Antilochos bythe
shord of the Hellespont, deeply mourning. ^Tet
the spirit of wise Nestor was not broken ; for te
said : It is the part of a wise man to bear mis¬
fortunes bravSly.” » But Achilles*, ever quick to
wrath,* and infuriated by ihe death of his loved
comrade Antilochos, rushed u{ 3 on the Trojans 3
who, trusting ,in the might of &Iemnon, had come
fortji to fight. *

Slaughtering ^as he went, Achilles dre\y near to
the city. Then would he have torn the gates'froit]
their hinged, and made a*way for the Danacfi, had
not Phbibos Ap 811 o, the faithful fr^fend of Troy,
been roused to anger when he saw whole columns

35 2

THE BOY'S ILIAD

CH.

of heroes stretched in death upon the ground. And
he dashed down Tom Heaven, bearing his quiver
and his death-dealing arrows on his shoulders, and
with a dreadful voice he thus addressed Achilles:

“Back, Peleides ! back! far from the Trojans!
Slay no more ! lest a worse thing befall thee from
the gods! ”

But Achilles, nothing fearing the terrible voice
pf the god, shouted loudly against him :

u Phoibos ! why dost thou urge me, unwilling,
tp 'contend with the gods ? And why dost thou
aid the perjured Trojans ? Depart—to the seat of
the gods ! lest I strike thee, immortal though thou
art!

Thus saying, he left the god, and turned
against the fleeing Trojans. And Phoibos, in¬
flamed with wrath, exclaimed : “ O ye Gods !

what A madman is this ! Zeus himself wfll not
control him, so terribly does h: boast against the
gods! ”

"‘And the angry god looked about him, and
espied the goodly Paris,.hiding behind a buttress
near the Skaian Gate, launchii^ his death-dealing
shafts against th'e Achaians. And Phoibos Apollo
approached him* concealed in a mist, and spake :

“ O Paris, fool that thou art! why dost thou
waste thine arrows on the ignoble crowd of
Achaians ? If thou carest for thy King *and
country aim thy shafts at Peleide^—now wallowing
in YrojaH blood — and avenge thy slaughtered
brethien ! Take this arrow from my quiver ; aim
at his heel , Miere h£ is vulnerable ; and 1 will
direct the dart! ”

xxxvi ACIJILLES’ HEEL PIERCED 353

* • . % •

•?Ifi spal^e ; and Paris took the dart, and set it

to his Jdow, and launched it £t Achilles, as he
turned away* The deadly dart' pierced the heel
and passed right through hie foot.

Then the mighty warrior, Peleid^, fel? like a
tower thrown down by an earthquake, or by the
fearful Typhon, And he cried aloud, with a
lamentable voice : ,

“Who hath thus secretly sent against me this
pestiferous •missile ? Well I know that no one o*f
earth-born heroes could meet me hand to haftd ;
but even thus clo weak, unwarlike dastards attack
the £)r»ve,Yn 3 m«secret ambush. My mind misgiveth
me, tha 4 ? this is the work of Phoibos Apollo ; for
so my*mother warned me, that he would slay me
at the Skaian Gate.”

He drew the arrow from the fatal wound, and
the blood gushed forth, ^nd darkness veilted his
eyes. When he had somewhat recovered from his
swoon, he threw aavay the dart, far from him, in
his despair. Ancl the Winds took it up, ahd
returned it to Apollo ; for an immortal weapon of
a god must nevea perish. And Apollo returned
to the*great* assembly of the gods on Mount
Olympos. • • # ♦

But when the wise consort of Zeus, Hera, the
Protectress of the Achaians, saw him, she turned
upon him with bitter words

“ Phoibos ! yghat wicked deed is thjs tjiat thou
hast done ? Hast thou forgotten the \*eddfog of
godlike Peleus and the silver-footed Thetis, *where
thou did$t sing t?> the joyouj guests Jknd sfrike thy
golden lyre ?• Hast thou ‘forgotten that, with the

354

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

other gods, thou didst pray that this very son
(night be born of Thetis ? that now thou aidest the
people of Laomedon, who once compelled thee, an
Immortal, to feed his 'floc.ks ? Yet the task of the
Trojans shall not be lightened by the death of
Aiakides ; for his son shall come from Skyros,
equal to his great father in strength, and shall
mightily aid the Argives. Fool that thou art!
how wilt thou dare to meet the eyes of the long-
robed Thetis, who loved thee of yore, whe'h she
cometh to the halls of Zeus ? ”

Thus spake Hera, in her enguish ; but Apollo
answered not a word, for he referenced the
spouse of his almighty father. He sat ap^rt from
the other gods, with downcast eyes; afld the
friends of the Achaians were angry with him, but
others praised him.

Achilles, though wtmnded to death, abated
nothing of his fury. The black blood still boiled
in h\s veins. None of the Tr ojans dared to go
near him ; they kept far away, like the herdsmen
who flee from a wounded dion. He, excited by
his wrath and the anguish of hie wound, rose from
the ground, and rushed against his Toes, and slew
godlike Orythaon, thei chosen frierd of glorious
Hektor, and Hipponoos, and noble Alkithoos,
and many others. He spake to the frightened
Trojans, as they fled‘before him :

“ AhJ ye Trojans and Dar t dans! miserable
cowl'rds\ u though I am dying, ye shall not escape
my spear ! And the Furies will avenge my death! ”

Thep Acf^lles fejl, with a 1 crash and his
glorious armour rang'around him.

xxxvi AIAS SLAYETH GLAUKOS

355 ,

• Meantime, Paris • greatly exulted in his own
mind, but he could not rouse *the courage of the
Trojans. f “Friends ! ”«he cried, “if ye will lend
me help, this day w* v/ill either die ^by the
hands of the Argives, or safely bear away the
body of Achilles, with the immortal horses, and
rejoice thd heai>t of Hektor, even in the realms of
Hades*! ”

He spake ; and the Trojans gathered round
the'corpse*of Achilles, each reviling him for* the
death *of husband, brother, or son. But suddenly
great Aias, peer of fhe immortals, appeared among
them,* ^nd drdve them away with his long lance.
Though they swarmed round »him like a flight of
bees around the bee-keeper, and he taketh no'heed
of them, so mighty Aias cared nothing for the
throng of Trojans, but slew their leaders.

Then godlike Glaukos, the son of Hippolochos,
of Lykia, advanced against him, and addressed him
with foolish wor^is : Aias ! since men lise
thee beyond measure, as *they did the warlike
Achilles, thou shalt die. with him, on the seff-
same day ! ” t ;

Arid Aias, looting askance at him, answered :
“ Miserable •man! knowtst tljbu not how for
better a man Hektor was than thou ? Yet even
he’avoided *my spear — uniting prudence with
vatour ! ” So saying, he turned upon the Trojans,
who fled like fash before a huge dolphin.*; and he
slew the warlike son of Hippolochos, aricl streh:heft
him by the side |>f godlike Achilles.^ Bui; Aineias,
the son of Anchises and Ajjhrodite/ dragged away
the corpse cff his dear friend, and gave it to his

CH.

356 THE BOY’S ILIAD

* r r f ^

comrades to bear into the .sacred city of f *Trc 5 y.
Then mighty Aiaswvounded Aineias in thfe right
arm; and he toqlc shelter within the Wajls.

Then the wily Od^ssevs came asr a f helper to
great Aias ; *and they fared about the body of
Achilles, and sent many Trojans to the GateS of
Hades. ,And Paris vainly stretched' his # bow
against the Son of Telamon ; but him gre&t Aias
smote with a huge stone; and his comrades bore
him, fainting, into the city. 1

* The Achaians were minded, abovp all thihgs, to
bear off the body of Achilfcs'to his tent. When
this was done, all their Chiefs, with Aia ( s/'came
where he lay ; raid the fierce Myrtnidons
mourned and wailed around him. More than all 1 ,
the aged Phoinix, who had reared and taught him
in early youth, lamented his death. “Would,”
the old man cried, “that the earth had covered me
before I saw thee dead in the'glorious prime of
manhood ! ” The great Atreicjes, too, mourned
over him with bitter te&rs. “ Thou, O Achilles ! ”
he said, “thou hast perished, thou, the most
glorious of all the Danaoi! and\hast Jeft our wide
camp without its surest bulwark.. Thy death will
nOw render the battle easier for the Trojans ; and
I see not any prosperous issue to this cruel war.”
So spake he, and all^ the Argives bailed around
him ; and the sea and ships and the rocks 're¬
echoed their mournful cries. r

Blit the son of Neleus, the agefi Nestor,
spake F wise words to Agamemnpn : “Npw, at
length, let us Resist froip weeping ; and bathe the
dear form of Achilles'",in warm wateh, and clothe

xxxvi &RIEF OF XANTHOS & BALIOS 357
\ > , *

hirrf in th$ fair sea-purple robes which his dear
mother gave him when he was setting out for
Troy.” And they carried out 4 the commands of
Nestor; and Achilles ^asdaid on a couch in his
own tent. The haughty goddess Hera pitied him,
whem she had so favoured in his life, and she
distilled ambrosia on his head, to preserve his body
fresh and free from all corruption.

And the fair Briseis, whom he had so dearjy
loved, deeply moaning, addressed the lifeless
corpse; so beautiful in death. “ Saddest of alj,”
she^said, “ am /, and ho such grief before has ever
torn my heart.* Thou wert to me as a festal day,
as the Sight of the sun, the sur^ solace of my cares !
Would that the dug-up earth had covered me, ere
this ! ” Then she shore her fair hair, and threw it
into the flame, as a gift to her dear lord.

Nor did his immortal Worses, Xanthos and Balios,
remain tearless, but wept unceasingly for their
dauntless master. .» The^ wished no more tojnove
amongst the warlike Achaians, but to go back,
beyond the waters cQkeanos and the caverhs
of Tethys, where* dwelt their mother, the divine
Podarge ; but a messenger from the gods bade
them await the coming of» Neoptolemos, the higfo-
souled son of godlike Achilles. ¥

‘Now, when they had borne the body of Achilles
to the ships, they laid it on a bier, and washed his
beautiful flesh jvith warm water, and arpinted it
with unguents. And for seventeen daystmd Jiighte
did the Argives bewail »him. On the eighteenth
day, they gave \ns body tq the Allies, and slew
around it many fatted sheep, 1 and kine of shambling

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

358

/

gait. Many of the mail-clad i\chaian heroes moved
arpund the funeral «pyre, and loud was the sound
of wailing.

But when Eos came smiling through the aether,
Thetis, the goddess-mother of Achilles, with her
deathless sisters, veiled in cerulean garments, came
forth from the depths of the sea, and a wonderful
wailing arose^ over the deep. And trembling fell
ot} the limbs of the Achaians, and they would have
sprung up and departed to their hollow ships, had
not Nestor held them back, saying : “ Hold! ye
Argives ! and flee not, young loi ds of the Achaiaps!
Lo ! his mother from the sea is coming, with the
deathless Nereids, t q behold the face of her dear
son ! V Then round the bier of Achilles stood
Thetis and all the maiden daughters of the Ancient
One of the Sea, making pitiful lament, and they put
incorruptible raiment upon him. So Achilles was
burned, in garments of the gods, and with unguents
and fypney. And when the flame of Hephaistos
hadf utterly destroyed his flesh, they gathered his
white bones, and placed thepi ki wine and ointments.
His mother had given him a twp-handled golden
urn, the work of Hephaistos, and the gift of Diony-
sca ; therein lie ths bones- of great Achilles, mingled
with those of Patrqklos. Above the grave they
piled a great and goodly tomb, high on a head¬
land overlooking the wide Hellespont, that it might
be seen hy men who now are, and by men who
shalhbe hereafter.

And when all was over, the Achaian Chiefs
»« ^ t
turned to the\» usual „business, and to the war,

and bethought them how they might best destroy

xxxvi KALUOPE COMFORTS THETIS 359*

% \ . % # • * *
the» Horse-taming Troians, even without the aid of

great Achilles. a

But Thetis, his mother, ceased not to mourn ;
no, not for a, moment. ^She was angry with Zeus
for consenting to his death. “ I wiU,” shfe said,
“ betake me to high Olympos, and fall at the feet
of cruel Ztlis, who forced me to marry a mortal—
sorely against my will—even Peleus, whom sad old
age hath suddenly seized. But I grieve not greatly
for /fim> but for Achilles. For Zeus hath deceived
me, in‘that he promised me that Achilles sho\ild
return safely to the kalis of his father, and to me—
wretcted tha‘t I* am ! For him the great Thunderer
hath m&de liable to the doorri of death—to my
eterna? sorrow.” Thus spake the sea-born goddess,
and wailed aloud.

And the heavenly Muses came and sat
around her, and strove* to lighten the borrow
of the despairing* mother. The silver - voiced
Kalliope heard heij cries', and pitied her, and^came
and spake : •

“Wail not, O Goddess! neither stir up bitter
words against the/Son of Kronos! For even he
hath se?en his somf, many and dear, destroyed by
cruel Fate. My son, too,»is dead, though born of
me, a deathless goddess—even t godlike Orpheus—
the* heavenly harmony of whose lyre was followed
by the winds, the woods, theVocks, and the rivers,
by the birds of the woods, and by all fhe feasts of
the field and forest. Yet I bare my s^trovNviA
a brave heart; for it is not meet that an immortal
goddess should consume he/ heart With lamenta¬
tions. Him* thy glorious'son, trfe clear-voiced

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

'360

' # f

Pierides will celebrate, and give him impiorfrai fame
among men. Therefore, O Goddess ! do not give
up thy soul to soi row, like a mortal v r oman ! ”
Thus spake the very wjse Kalliope, the mother
of far-famet^Orpheus. •

Meantime, the glorious Sun God was hasten¬
ing to the streams of Okeanos, and dusky Night was
spreading over the wide firmament, bringing sleep
and solace to care-worn mortals. Then all the
Achaians, lying in the sands around the grave of
noble Achilles, took thought of sleep, and laid
them down to rest. But sweet sleep came not to
the tearful eyes of his sad mother.- ♦ She sat, with
her sister Nereids, weeping by the splendid tomb
of Achilles and Patroklos. And the Muses came
to her, and chanted their lovely songs, and strove
to soothe the broken heart of the afflicted
mother.

9

The Trojans, meanwhile,.' were bewailing
Glfukos, the mighty .son of Hippolochos, their
ally from Lykia, and payings him the like funeral
honours as the Argives paid to godlike Achilles. But
they rejoiced wh Cn they saw thensmoke of Achilles’
pyre rising to the clouds, and knew that their
greatest enemy was no more.

But the gods of "Olympos who favoured ‘the
Argives ^eepjy mourned the death qf their favourite
ha.nv> and^were wroth with Zeus for aiding the
hated Trojans. And the illustrious Hera, daughter
of Kronos, thfis addressed her Lord : “O' Zeus !
why dost thok take' the part of fche Trojans,

XXXVI ZEUS MOURNETH OVER ILIOS 361

* ' ^ . *

forgetfiul qf the fair-haired Nymph whom thou

gavest to be the wife of godlika Peleus ? ” .

And the great Thunderer answered not a word.
For his mind was tqfme*nted hy the thought
that the Achaians would destroy the sacred’ city of
Ilicw.

CHAPTER XXXVII

When Daylight had gone to the deep waters of
the Ocean, and left the great Earth irl darkftess,
the Achaians bethought them of their supper,
though still grieving; for -sorrow cannot satisfy
a hungry stomach. And when they had put away
the desire of meat and drink, sweet sleep relaxed
their weary limbs, and renewed their strength.

But when Eos, the rosy-fingered, brought
back the light, then Tydeides addressed the host
gathered on the shore of the Hellespont: “ Friends!
if we really excel in the work cf war, let us now
attack the Trojans, before they recover their spirit,
raised by the death of "Achilles. Let us then be
up and doing, and surround the city with our
chariots and horses.” *

Then huge Alas answered him : “ O Tytieides,
Wise is the couneel which thou givest us ; but I
think we must tarry for a time by the ships,
and await the coming of the silver-footed goddess
Thetis, who wishes to offer rich prizes for games
in honour of her son.” r

And Tydeides spake again : <c If divine Thetis
is surely; coming to institute contests for us, let
us await her ;*'for it ir> a good thing to’obey the
blessed gods.”

ch. xxxvii ACHILLES’ ARMOUR

363

Thfea fojlowed the. Games ; a chief feature of
which was the wrestling-match ^between Aias and
Tydeides. ^ After a fearful struggle, with varying
fortune, Aias threw Tydeides, who rose again,
ready to renew* the fight. Then Nestor'inter¬
fered, and stopped the contest. “ Cease,” he said,
“from the*too violent struggle! Well we know
that you*twain are by far the noblest of>he Argives,
now that great Achilles is dead.” Then the mighty
heroes exchanged
to the banquet.

At the end of the*games, divine Thetis brought
forward the most glorious prize of all—the divine
armour which Hephaistos had made for Achilles.

• The chief candidates were, Telamonian Aias
and Odysseus, son of wise Laertes. Old Nestor
interposed, by right of his great age and manifold
experience. “O Friends*! ” he said, “ the* great
gods, who themselves are free from sorrow, have
laid this heavy burden up'on us, to decide between
two slich men, so equal in merit. I fear that the
loser will no more fight ajong with us, but will bb
terribly wroth. L^t us then ask the wisest of the
Trojans* to give the*prize to him whom they think
the worthier. * They will !tot inc 4 ine to one sid£
or the other, seeing that they ha£e us all with equal
fury*.” » >

Then the warrior Agamemnon, King of men,
made harangue, gnd said to Nestor : V N9 one of
the Danaoij whether young or old, can*com^ari
with thee in wisdom. 4 think, therefoje* that
we should leave it to the, Trojan captives to
decide.”

friendly kisses, and went together

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

364

Then the most illustrious of the Trojans were
called into the Assembly, and took their seats in
the midst, as judges in this weighty matter.

But first, the fiery Ains, rising full of wrath,
addressed frs rival: “ O thou crafty, evil man !
what demon hath led thee to contend with ue in
might ? Thy mother bare thee i-imid and weak,
as much inferior to me as a dog to a lion. When
the Trojans went about to burn our ships, thou
didst shrink from the fight; but I feared neither
the fiery blaze nor the furious Hektor, who* always
yielded to me, while thou hast always feared him.
And now, confiding in thy subtle eloquence, thou
aspirest to the greatest things. But thorn couldst
neither wear Achilles’ arms nor brandish his spear ;
while I should in no wise disgrace his precious
armour. The silver-footed Thetis hath offered
them &s a reward of warlike prowess, and not of
mere garrulity.”

i^d the son of LaerteS assailed him with scorn-
fuPwords, while revolving subtle counsels in his
heart: “Aias! ever of,uri>ridled tongue! why
dost thou thus vainly abuse me ? Thou callest me
timid and unwarlike ! me> who urn thy superior by
far in eloquence ^nd whe counsel. 3 t is by reason
and art that the hunters subdue the wild beasts of
the forest, and the sailors cross the stormy sea~; it
is by the wit and industry of man that all geeat
things ^fcomplished. I, alone of the Argives,
askable* by my persuasion, to bring godlike
Achilles to be the ally of« Atreides. Strength and
lofty stature' are of.no avail, unless guided by
prudent forethought.”

xxxvii THE ARMOUR AWARDED 365

T'h'uls the twain mutually exalted themselves,
and cohtemned each other. • But the Trojan
judges decided the bitter strife, apd unanimously
awarded (he, divine armcAir to the wise and
warlike Odysseils. His heart beat with immense
joy ' but the people groaned.

Atjd bitter grief penetrated the brain of the
mighty * Aias, and his dark blood bailed in his
heart. He stood motionless, with his bloodshot
eyes .fixed dn the ground, till his sorrowing friends
led hifti away, to the black ships. The othtr
Argives bethought them of food and repose; but
Aias n£it,her partook of the grateful feast, nor did
sleep vihit his sad eyes ; but *he armed himself,
being wroth with all the Argives. Seizing* his
sharp sword, he pondered whether he should fire
the Argive ships, or turn his fury on Odysseus
alone, Und hew him in pieces. This he would have
done, but Athene, hver watchful over the goodly,
patient son of Laettes, turned away his fury "from
the Argives. She robbed *him of his wits, and
blinded his eyes, so thjt he mistook the sheep ancl
oxen for the ^rgi^es, and raged Jike fire against
them. ,*He stood, irf his madness, near a slaughtered
ram, and taking it for OdysSeus, addressed it thus \
“ Lie there in the dust, thou crafty man! Not
even the vlivihe armour of ( Achilles hath saved
thee?—fool that thou wert to contend with a better
man than thou ! • Lie there, thou dog'! Nc\wife
or son or parents shall bewail thee ; farTromxh^*
home tfioi} shalt lj>e the pi’ey of dogs and birds! ”

Then Athene took away, the veil # from his eyes,
and. restored Vis reason. And when he saw the*

THE BOY’S ILIAD ch. xxxvii

366

sheep palpitating on the ground, Aias groalhecl imd
said in his heart :Alas ! why am I so hated by
the gods, who have thus blinded nfe, and driven
me mad ? Would that I r had indeed sHn the vile
Odysseus, vfho hath brought on Aie this calamity !
What advantageth it me, that I have surpassed all
the wicked Argives in valour ? May their pestilent
army perisff, since no longer the best man beareth
away the prizes, but a baser one is preferred !
Odysseus is now in honour with them’, and all my
great deeds are forgotten ! ”

Thus saying, the mighty son of Telamon thrust
the sword of Hektor into his own throat. And
he fell dead, and lay there stretched' on the
ground, like Typhon when struck by the bolt
of Loud-thundering Zeus. And the Argives
gathered around the huge corpse, with tears and
lamentation.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

\

Eos had again ascended the high heaven, and
Earfh and* /Ether smiled when Menelaos, jvith
crafty •purpose, called the Argives to an assembly,
and. addressed therfi *thus : “ My heart is sore

afflicted. by th£ death of so many noble warriors,
who caTne hither for my sake* and have died far
from their home and country. Would that black
Death had visited me before I came hither, to suffer
and witness so many labours and misfortunes! I
care far more for my lost friends than for the
shameless Helen. * Let her go and perish with
her effeminate lovfcr, for whom she left her *>home
and child ! Now, then, sin'ce godlike Achilles and
high-souled Aias are •dead, let us return to our
own dear country; for that is # better than to
perish ftere.” Th\ 5 s spake he, making trial of the
Argives; buf the thoughts of,his jealous heaft
were far otherwise. •

Then the 'great spearman, Tydeides, arose in
ang^r : “ O thou coward son of Atreus ! think
not that the sous of the Argives will 4 istew tothy
shameful wprds, till they have laid low the*towe^s of
holy Troy, No^let every man sharpen his weapons
at the hollow ships, and prepare the gupper,«that we
ma | go forth'to battle in our might/’

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

368

So spake Tydeides, and sat down. , Then rose
Kalchas, the son of Thestor, and spake : “ Hear
me, Tydeides ana Odysseus! Let us §£nd to the
island of Skyros, and fetch Neoptolfmos, the
gallant son of Achilles; for he * will shine as a
brilliant light upon us all.” ’

And the prudent, goodly Odysseus assented
thereto, agreeing to go to Skyros with the son of
Tydeus. Then Menelaos spake to them, and
saic^: “If the brave son of Achilles will i[ome
arid help us, and the gods grant us to return to
Hellas, I will give him my noble daughter, Her-
mione, and with her many a precious gift.’’

Then Diomedes rnd the crafty Odysseus launched
a swift ship, and fifty youths laboured at the long
oars, and quickly they crossed the broad back of
the boundless sea, and came to Skyros, where they
found the son of Achilles. They easily persuaded
Neoptolemos to return with them. But his dear
mother, Deidameia, remembering how the crafty
Odysseus had persuaded Achilles to join the
Argive army, entreated her son not to leave her.
“ O my son ! ” she cried, “ whi.her hath thy sane
mind departed, that thou thinkest of going to
fatal Ilios, wheie so many discreec and valiant
men have fallen ? Remain in my house, lest one
day a fatal message should wound my ears, that
thou art slain! ” But her brave son answered
her: ^Tahe courage, Mother mine! no man
lallfcth in war but by the will of Fate, and if it be
my lot, I shall have performed deeds worthy of my
sire.” And Deidameia, sad as she was, rejoiced in
her son’s noble spirit. And as he hastened to the

xxxxmi % NEOETOLEMOS 369

r * ^ d • >

shipv 'the silver-footed Thetis and her sister

Nymphs rejoiced around him. »

The presence of the; son of ♦Achilles, clad by
Odysseus’ permission .i$ the divine armour of his
father, greatly encouraged the Achai^ns, who had
beea again driven back to their ships by the
Trojans under tfie leadership of Eurypylos. The
Trojans were much terrified, for they thought that
Achilles, their most dreaded enemy, had returned
to life again. Neoptolemos easily restored the
fortune of the battle, and drove away the Trojans
from the ships*. He Jiad taken command of tfie
Myrmidons/ his father’s followers, and exhorted
them te acts of courage anc^ zealous efforts to
succour the Achaian army in its perilous plight.
Seated in a chariot drawn by the immortal horses,
and driven by the charioteer Automedon, he
seemed the very image *of their former toaster.
The fair-haired Thetis rejoiced to see her grand¬
son performing e)jploits*worthy the son of s^uch a
father. *

In the second day’s fighting, he overcame many
of the most notable Trojan warriors, Melaneus,
Alkidatnantes, and others, while 'many were slain
by Tydeides* Meriones, #nd Agamemnon. On
the other side, Aineias killed Aristolochos, smiting
him on the hairnet with a huge stone which crushed
his*skull; and Eurypylos slevV many, among whom
were Eurytos, Jdenoitios, of the glea^ning girdle*
and Harpalos, the trusty friend of Odysjfcus.S*

But now the gallant son of Achilles* even
Neoptolemos, ran to meet ^Eurypy&s wiith fierce
intent; and* these twain’^brandisfted their long

370 THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

spears against one another./ Eurypylos was' the
first to speak : “ Who art thou, that comest to
fight with me, thou, whom the decree of the
gloomy Fates will surely send down to Hades ? ”

And the yaliant son of great P^leides answered
him : “ I am the son of the high-minded Achilles,
who put thy father to flight! ^nd -the horses
which bear r>:e along are those immortal steeds of
my father's, born by the Harpy Podarge to
Zephyros, which run with light hoof over the
barren sea, swift as the winds! And now that
thou knowest my lineage, #nd my horses, thou
shalt feel the force of my invincible ashen spear,
cut in the forest of Mount Pelion.” He spake,
and leapt from his chariot to the ground, shaking
his mighty lance.

And brave Eurypylos, on the other side, lifted
a huge* stone, and smo.e the golden shield of
Peleides’ son. But he stood, firm, as a rock
againsjt the flood. Bra/e Eurypylos was not
dismayed ; his own rashness, ancl the cruel bates,
drave him onward to his, doom. The twain
warriors hammered loudly with their swords on
one another’s shields, striving to reach the flesh.
Afid cruel Eris (Discord) watched ♦'heir struggle
with delight, till, at last, the weapon of Neopto-
lemos pierced Eurypylos under the vchin* and the
dark blood flowed ; and he fell, like a tall pine
tree, uproote^l by the blasts of Boreas, and gave up
the ghost* And the son of Achilles boasted over
him, and cried : “ Thou jthoughtest to burn our
ships, arid destroy us^ but the great gods have
not fulfilled thy wish, but have subdued thee by

xxfcvin ARES HELPS THE TROJANS 371

<> * ■ )

my* Spear., No mprtal can escape the son of
Adbilles, even though he were .made of brass/’ „

Then would the Trojans have been driven to
the gates of Troy, fleoyig like calves before a lion,
had not pernicious Ares, eager to help them, come
down from high Olympos, unseen' by the other
Immortals PJe was borne onward by his fire-
breathkig horses, Aithon and Phlogfos, Komatos
and Phobos ; and the gleaming sether sighed ^s
they rushad along. Rash Ares quickly came to
Troy,v shaking his ponderous spear, and shouted
with a voice of thunder to the Trojans; and
goodly Helenos heard him, and knew his voice,
though* his divine body, and hi,s horses, were veiled
from‘ mortal sight. Helenos spake, and said to
the Trojans: “Why flee ye, cowards, before the
son of warlike Achilles ? he too is mortal! and we
have Jieard the voice of-awful Ares, urging us to
fight the Argivec 1 . What better ally could we
have than the mighty God of War ?” And the
horsb-taming Trojans rallied to the voice of Ares and
the words of brave Helqnos ; and the fierce battle
was renewed; and>many a warrior fell on either side.

NeOptolemos rushed on, in spite of Ares,
slaughtering #in the ranks of the Trojans ; and
Ares, furious at his bloody onslaught, prepared to
cast off»the*cloud and meet him face to face.
Bui Athene, fearing for her clear Argives, hastened
down from PJeaven, and would h^ve attacked
great Ares, had not Zeus thundered c Mofl^aad
driven them both in terror from the field. • Then
Ares no longer helped the Trojans and fhey fled
before the invincible Neogtolomo^ to the shelter

372

THE BOY’S ILIAD ch. xxj.Viii

of their walls. Pent up in their strong fo'rt^QSS,
they now fought v r ith lance and bow against the
assaulting Argives. These would have stormed
the citadel and sacked the Q’ty, had not Ganymedes,
the son of T r os and Kallirhoe, the* most beautiful
of mortals and the favourite cup-bearer of Zeus,
raised his voice in piteous supplication to the
mighty Thufiderer : “ O Father Zeus! if/* by thy
will, I have left my noble country, and now dwell
with thee, hear me, I pray, in my great affliction!
How can I bear to see my city, the holy'Troy,
reduced to ashes, and my ( whole race utterly
destroyed ? ” Thus spake Ganymedes, with^deep-
drawn sighs ; and the Great Father pitied him,
and hid the whole city in the thickest mist, that nc
one could see it, and thundered loudly from the sky.

The Danaoi heard it, and were filled with dread.
And the son of Neleus, t'fte prudent Nestor, spake
with his clear voice to the Argives : “ O noble
leaderf of the Danaoi ! no longer will our limbs
be strong, if great Zeas thus aids the Trojans!
C&me, then, let us go back to our ships, and cease
from war and labour ! We have heard his portents
from the skies ; and all must obe) Loud-thundering
Zeus, the Lord of the lightning ! ” 1 ►

Then they retreated to their ships, and put off
their armour, and bathed in the waters of the
Hellespont. And when they had taken their
evening < me?l, they slept by the fleet, placing
sentinels/lest the warlike Trojans should attack
them in the night. The Trojan warriors, too,
relieved each other orv guard, fearing the onset of
the Argives. v ’ 4

CHAPTER XXXIX

The great Soothsayer Kalchas had declared an
orafle, thft Troy could not be taken without the
aid erf Philoktetes, sqn of Poias. He was .jthe
greatest archer of the^Argives, a disciple and friend*
of Heckles, Vho gave him his bow and unerring
arrows as a reward for setting fire to the pile, on
•Mount Oita, upon which the body of Herakles
was burnt. As one of the suitors of Helen, he
was obliged to go to the Trojan war. On the
journey, while at Chryse 5 , he was bitten hrthe foot
by a snake whieh was guarding the temple of
Athene. The n&ise of his cries and the °mell of
his wound were so intolerable, that Odysseus
advised the Atreidai *o expose him on the island of
Lemnos. To br/ng this hero to Troy, the Argives
now ^ent Odysseu*s and Diomedes ; and he, at their
request and that of Neoptolemcs, went to Troy<>to
end the war. After his arrival there, Apollo put him
to*sleep,^nd Machaon cut out the wound and applied
healing herbs, and Philoktetes was quickly cured.

Upon the sad death of noble EUktor^his un¬
worthy brother, Paris (Alexandros), hid btco'nae
the efrief of Priam’s sons, and, wjth his'famous
bow and arrows, fought wkh considerable success.
\yhen, therefore, Philoktetes in his strength, arid

iy

374

THE BOY’S ILIAD

- ^CH.

in magnificent armour, with the unerring boW of
H,erakles, came into the field and slew' great
numbers of the Trojans, Paris sallied forth to
encounter him. He discharged one of his arrows
at the mighty Philoktetes and missed him, but
struck the noble Cleodoros in the breast, and took
away his life. And the valiant .son ’tof Poias,
seeing his brave comrade fall, rushed to thd front,
with his death-dealing bow, and shouted aloud to
Paris : “ Quickly will I slay thee, who daresf to
match thyself against me ; and all who now Suffer
from grievous war will breathe again, when thou
art slain! for thou hast brought all these "woes
upon them ! ” 1

Soi saying, he stretched his unerring bow, and
drew the arrow to the head. Nor did he miss his
mark, but grazed the skin of Paris’ beautiful body;
but the Wound was not fatal, and Philoktetes there¬
fore rushed upon him, and wounded him in the
groin. Paris no longer sustained the conflict, but
fled into the city ; and 1 black Night descending
separated the opposing hosbs, and stayed their
mutual slaughter; the Trojans returned to their
city, and the Argives to their ships.

•’Meantime, Par’s lay all night long in agony ;
and the skilful leeches vainly tried to heal him.
Then he bethought him of his lawful wife, <Oinorie,
the fair daughter of the river-god Kebren, whom
he had^ 50 long deserted. She was wonderfully
skiilenTm the healing art, having learnt all manner
of medicines from her dnine father. Paris had
been told .by an oracle, (that she alone could save
him from death.

xxXuc PFJILOKTETES SLAYS PARIS 375

% ♦ % .

*'Ashamed and reluctant as he was to ask the

aid of»her whom he had so .deeply wronged, -he
went to her dwelling, .threw himself at her feet,
and implored her pi*y, c » c O revere^ Wife!” he
cried, “ lay aside thy just hatred, and have mercy
on* me, in my sore affliction ! Wduld that I had
died in tlkne strms, before the Fates impelled me
to bear away Helen from her homo! I implore
thee, by our former love, to assuage my pains, and
do fiot, through jealousy, cast me away to die !

So* spake he, with, bitter tears. But Oinpne
wa$ by no means softened by his prayer. “ Thou
false *and" wicked man! ” she cried, “ how darest
thou appear before the eyes ,of one whom thou
•hast \o basely betrayed for the daughter of«Tyn-
dareus, the source of countless sorrows ? Where
is now thy favourite goddess, the fair-crowned
Aphrodite ? Hath imn/ortal Zeus forgotten thee,
his son-in-law ? Depart from my halls, and go to
Helen, and whirfe to 'her, in thy bitter anguish,
and see whether she can heal thee ! ”

Thus spake the #angry Oinone, foolish ode !
who knew not that the Fates were already on
her trick. * •

And Paris went stumbling ilong, beneath tbe
heights of woody Ida, where,he breathed out his
last breath ; • and the divine Helen saw him no
mf>re. But as he dragged Himself along, the cruel
Hera saw him :# and was glad. % %

But his mother, Hekabe, the wift>> ot royal
Priam ; when she heard of the death of* Paris,
wailed aloud, beating her* aged breast:, “ O my
son, after Hektor, dearest 6f all xhy children! fqr

376 THE BOY’S ILIAD tn.

thee I shall mourn and weep so long as life shall
last! ”

Helen, too, bewailed, not so much his death,
as her own evil fate. .'“Weuld,” she said, “that
the Harpyai -had carried me off before 1 followed
thee—by the" cruel will of the gods ! Whit-her
can I flee ? since all men, Trojans, and r Achaians,
hate me ! if I seek the camp of my former
husband, Menelaos, they will shamefully ill-treat
me. ^ And here, in Troy, the Trojans and their
wives will stand around rpe, mocking, and will
tear me in pieces, and caste rae to the dogs ^nd
birds! ” •* ' >

And the fair Qinone, mindful of her early
dreams of love with Paris, and full of remorse,
for her rejection of his piteous supplication, sat
alone in her chamber, bewailing the still dear,
though "faithless, husband 1 " of her youth. “ O my
folly ! O my bitter life ! would that the Black
Fates -had carried me away, sitree it was decreed
that I should be separated from my husband !
Nbw, I will dare a monstrous deed ; and for his
sake I will die; for I hate the light! ”

And when gloomy Night had wrapped her
father, and her maidens^ in sweet sleep, she left
her halls, and rushed through the darkness to the
wooded Ida, seeking the body of dead Pasis. And
the divine Selene (the Moon), mindful of her own
love for Harxieless Endymion, had pity on her, and
li*i tin long paths with brilliant light. And
soon she found the place where the ( Wood Nymphs
were gathered round,the corpse of Alexandras,
raising a mourrfful dirge. f

xx&* OJNONE BURNT ALIVE ^ 377

^ * •

»TKb goatherds from the hills had collected
wood, and reared a mighty pyre, on which they
laid the bp&y, and paid the last* honours to their
former ccynpanion and -their Prince. *

And when sad Oinone saw him> whom she still
dearly loved, in the midst of the circling flames,
she (foverad her fair head with her qloak, and
suddenly leapt into the fire, and thr^W herself on
the body of her husband, and was burned alive
wit}}*him. * ,

When the JNymphs*, who had gathered around
the # pyre % saw her Peeking thus to die with her
husbafick they lamented, and spake to one another:
“ Surely Paris was mad to desert so noble and
foithffil a wife — who loved him better tharf the
light of the sun—for the false spouse of another
man, and thereby bring destruction on himself,
the city, and all the Trojans/’ And when the
fire, in which both'Vere consumed, had died down,
they^quenched th^ ashes with wine, and gathered
the bones of the wretched' pair in a golden urn,
and set up two columns over their grave.

CHAPTER XL

But round the walls of Troy the murderous fight
weqt on. Neoptolemos, son of Achilles, PKUok-
tefes, Tydeides, and the crafty Odysseus, Teukros
and Euryalos, and Aias, the sbn of Oileus, fought
in the front ranks, and slew the bravest ’of the
Trojans. Against £hem were ranged the goddess-
born Aineias, Eurymachos, and Polydamas, who
astounded the Achaians by their stout resistance
and their warlike deeds.

When the valiant son of Poieas, Philoktetes,
saw Aineias raging furiously refund the walls, and
layings many of the Argives lo\$, he sent an ^rrow
from his unerring bow c at the son of Aphrodite ;
but it did not reach his fa*r body, for his goddess-
mother stopped it. Then PhilQktetes shouted to
him with a mighty voice, and challenge^ him :
c *0 Aineias ! tho^i thinkest thyself tb be a mighty
man of valour ? Come forward then, and learn
to know the bold son of Poias ! ” * But Aineias
answered him not. The Trojans, indeed, were
mostly Arivrn within their walls $ and now that
rfie^noblS Hektor was no more, and^even their
skilful bpwm^n, Paris, had miserably perished, they
could no longer make h$ad against the far stronger
Argives. Yet "the war was by no means en 4 ed.

^78

ch.^h, ODYSSEUS’ PROPOSAL ^ 379

The* 1 vfalls, ^reared by immortal gods, Poseidon and
Apollo, 0 were quite impregnable. The Achaians
were disheartened by the length of the war and
the stout f resistance ©f* the Trojans. ^ Moreover,
they had incurred the anger of the gods when
Diomedes and Odysseus, entering ’ the city by
night; through a subterranean passage, had stolen
the sacfed Palladium. This statue of 7 wood, a so-
called xoanon , represented Athene with a lance
in h£r right hand, and in her left a spindle s and
distaff* The # sacred image had fallen down to
earth from Zeus ; £nd so long as it remained in
the teftiple of the goddess in Troy, the city could
not be Jaken. *

• Th # e Achaians had now become doubtful whether
the oracles and prophecies about the fall of Troy
would be fulfilled. Then Kalchas, their wise Sooth¬
sayer/ called a Council 6 f the Chiefs, and made
harangue : “ No ^longer,” he said, “ let us sit

around Troy, in Vain endeavours to storm and
sack the holy city ; but let us devise some other
plan, which may save both our ships and our¬
selves/’

Then the son of Laertes, the crafty Odysseus,
showed the vPay to victory, not by force of arms,
but by wily stratagem. “ O beloved Kalchas,” he
said, “ honoured by the gods ! since the Fates
have decreed that Troy should fall by our arms,
hearken to the > plan which I propose ! * I^et us
build here % mighty Horse, of wood ; afid leteoifr
Chiefs hide in jts cave/nous belly and, 16 t our
army sail away, to Tenedoe, in their black ships ;
and burn thfcir tents, that,the Trbjans, thinking

THE BOY'S ILIAD

CH.

( 3 8 °

we have altogether departed, may pour out'of the
city into the plain, to see the mighty Horse. And
let some bold man remain by the side of the huge
beast, and pretend that he .Hls been cruelly ill-used
by the Danaoi, who wished to sacrifice him on
their retreat from Troy. To their eager question¬
ing let him reply, that their only safety lieth in
dragging the Horse within their walls and placing
it on the top of the citadel. Then let him raise
a beacon fire, as a sign to the Achaians in Tenetios ;
and then, when the Trojans are wraot in ambrosial
sleep, we will come out, and sack and burn, the
city, and slay the men.”

And Kalchas was pleased that he had called the
Achaian Chiefs together. He spake again, in this
wise : “ Let us not consider any other plan, but
adopt that of the wise son of Laertes. Great
Zeus himself hath approved of it, by the lightnings
which flash through the aether, and by the flight of
birds 'jn our right hand.”

Thus spake wise Kalchas, and all shouted
applause, except the brave -con of Achilles, mag¬
nanimous Neoptolemos. “O Kalchas!” he said,
“ brave men fight openly, and man to man ! and
dot by mean and crafty artifice ! 'Let us, then,
not use stratagems,>but rely upon our own strength
and courage * ” Thus spake Neoptolemos, insati¬
able of cruel war. Then the wise son of Laertes,
the goadlynOdysseus, answered him : “ O noble
of undaunted Aiakides ! thou speakest like a
good and honourable man. But bethink thee, that
even the intrepid, matchless valour of thy mighty
jsire did not avkil to t?ke the rich city of Priam.

xl\* BUILDING OF THE HORSE 381

• • •

TilPnErtv we have not, been able, In spite of all our
labours* and dangers, to end the war. Let us than
bid the skilful Epeios, who by th’e grace of Athene
is by far ^he best of architects, build tjle Horse.”

All the Chiefs assented, except •Neoptolemos
and? Philoktetfcs. These bade their* soldiers bear
all tj^eir £ege * machines to the walls,of Troy,
hoping* thereby to take the well-fortified city.
And this would have been done had not the Great
Father of Mrods and Men been wroth with thpm :
the ground qpaked beneath their feet; the wist
aether quivered with •lightning ; thunderbolts fell
near tfyem ;* 5 .nd all Dardania echoed with the
awful din. Then was their boldness changed to
pallid* fear ; and, though reluctant, they obeyed
the counsel of the wise Kalchas.

Then Athene, the unwearied friend of the
Achafans, and of Odysse # us, whom she loved both
for his courage arfd his craft, came down from the
lofty dwelling of Jthe blessed gods, and stood over
the liead of the sleeping*Epeios, and spake to
him: “ Epeios ! up, and»quickly build the Wooden
Horse ! I myselfyvill help thee in the work/’

Anfl when Eos*the golden-throned, had chased
the darkness* back to Erfcbos, Epeios arose, aifd
related to the Argive Chiefs what he had seen and
heard, a*id they knew it was a divine vision.
And the lordly sons of Atreus ordered men to go
to the woody Willeys of Mount Ida, fp h‘i% wood
for wise Epeios. And the skilful architectThade*fir$t
the feqt and legp, and then the hohpw tjelTy, and
the breast, the neck, the shoulders, and the hinder
parts. Thus he fashioned* the ^hole body and

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

p 82

head, with the mane and crest of hair and tail/ ^he
ears and eyes bright with inserted jewels—the green
beryl and the ruddy amethyst—and all the other
parts of a Hying, moving l\p5 , se. And Athene in¬
spired him with godlike art; and by her help the
whole work was perfected in three days. Then
Epeios, gazing at the Horse, was himself astonished
by its stupenUous size. Then he raised his suppliant
hands in prayer to the sublime, unwearied goddess,
andjmplored her to preserve him and his Work.
It ,was finished as she had bidden him, and was an
object of admiration to all who saw or heard of it.

The immortal gods on Olympos, meanwhile,
were divided among themselves ; some wishing to
destroy the Horse ; others, to lay low the proud
city of Ilios. Ares rushed against Athene, and
other gods and goddesses, taking up the quarrel,
met in such furious conflict, that their awful voices
rang through the wide asther, and reached even to
the gulf of stern Aidoneus. There the Titans
trembled in their caverns, and lofty Ida re-echoed
to the furious clamour. r Mighty Zeus had gone
meanwhile to the streams of Okeanos and the
caverns of Tethys ; but now returned, full of wrath
against the gods.^ He rebuked them» severely, and
shook great heaven, with his thunder, and hurled
his fiery bolts upon the earth. And the gods,
immortal though they were, trembled in every lknb
at the w^ath/pf their omnipotent Loj-d. Then glori-
®as«Tneftiis, Goddess of Justice and Right Reason,
flew to them, ^hrough the clouds, arjd thus addressed
them : “ Cease from rkoisy battle! It is not meet,
]yhen Zeus is ahgry, th^it the deathless gods should

xf SINON THE TRAITOR 383

.

contend w^th one another for the sake of perishing
mortals. Beware ! lest he hurl .the lofty mountains
upon you, ajid spare neither son nor daughter! ”
They heard, and obfjyfdand some returned to
Olympos ; others, to the Sea ; \frhye otfters re-
mawied on tho Earth. •

In the* caqip of the Achaian army, the
prudent son of Laertes, the goodly Odysseus, the
man of many wiles, again made harangue to the
Argjve Chiefs, and said : “ O ye noble and high-
minded leaders of the host! now is the time.to
show which of you «ase brave and blameless. Be <
bold, •therefore, and think of your impetuous
valour l* Let us all climb intp the body of the
well-built Horse, and put an end to this mournful
war! And let some trusty youth, unknown to
the Trojans, remain near the Horse, and, with
no other thought, repeat *our words to the* men of
Iroy. •

Thus spake OcJysseuS, with crafty counsel; and
the Others were afraid ; but> the adventurous Sinon,
son of Aesimos (or pf t Sisyphos), a kinsman bf
Odysseus, stood forward and said : <c O Odysseus,
and all ye nbble warriors! / will carry out your
wishes’ It may be, that they wiU cast me into the
fire, and heap ignominy on my name. But I am
content with this—either to perish in the midst of
my t enemies, or to gain great’glory for myself and
profit for the Ogives.” t

Thus spake he boldly ; and the Danaoi*rejo:ced*
and said to one^another*: “ Surely, spme god hath
given this man great strength and courage ; for,
before, he setmed by no mekns bold.” ,

THE BOY’S ILIAD

CH.

r 384

Then Nestor arose and spake; Now,
Odysseus, there is need of all our courage ;
but if we show a noble heart, the great gods will
give us both, honour and yi<?tory. Would that I
were now as<«when Jason summoned the youth of
the Argive heroes to enter the famous ship,«the
Argo ! but Pelias kept me back, against my will.
And now, oid age weighs heavily upon me. But
even so, as I am, I will be the first to mount into
the f well-built Horse ; for the gods wi’il give' me
confidence and strength.” r «

Then the son of golden-haired Achilles answered
him : “ O Nestor! thou art the wisest ofi men,
but relentless age hrs laid hold of thee. Bo thou
then 1 depart to the shore of Tenedos, with the
other Argives, while we ascend the Horse ! ”

And godlike Nestor went up to him, and kissed
his hands and head, and bbeyed his words. /Then
Neoptolemo9 donned the divine arms of his
father 4 and all the other'Chiefs arrayed them in
their armour. 1

‘ And now, O Muse! recount to me the names
of those who entered the vast belly of the Horse !
thou, who didst first inspire my song, wh6n I, 1 a
beardless youth, ♦fed my lovely sheep in the fields
of Smyrna, not far firom the temple of Artemis.

The first to ascend was the dauntless* Neopto-
lemos, the son of Achilles; then Menelaos,
Odysseps, §thenelos, and the gocUike Diomedes ;
after thAn went Philoktetes, Antiklos, and Menes-
theusthen { the magnanimous JThoas, and fair¬
haired I^olypoites, Aias, son of Oileus, Eurypylos
^ 1 Quintus Smyrnaeus.

xt' THE t HEROES IN THE HORSE 385
. , • ♦

(th^Achai^n), and gfodlike Thrasymedes, illustrious
Meriones and Idomeneus, and wnany other notabje
warriors, even all the bestf men of»the Achaians, and
they filled the enorm^ij^ belly of 3 the # fatal Horse.
Last of afl, Epe;ios climbed up into fl itT—he \frho had
made it, and* knew how to open und shut the
doors. He dre,w up the ladder by which they had
climbed, closed the door, and seated Himself by
the bars. The other warriors were silent, placed
as they wefe between death and victory.

Meantime, all the Achaians who were left out¬
side, having burnech their tents, embarked in their
hollow shipS, and sailed to Tenedos. These were
commanded by wise Nestor a;id the noble spear-
bearer King Agamemnon, who would gladly,have
entered the Horse, but the Argives prevented
them ; for they said that the men would be more
ready to obey, when the^ saw their greatest rulers
with them. Those in the belly of the Horse were
now near the efiemy,’ doubting in their ^ hearts
whether the doom of death were not also near to
them, or whether they \yere about to capture die
holy city of King*Priam !

CHAPTER XLI

The Trojans, with anxious minds, saw the smoke
rising from the burning camp of the Adrian
army, and the departure of the hostile ships. # But
so< 5 n, with glad hearts, they gqured forth from the
gates, and stood gazing in amazemejit‘at* the; huge
monster of a Horse, which was indeed a stupendous
work. When they‘found Sinon alone, they ques¬
tioned him about the plans of the Argives. At
first, they spoke to him with gentle words, but
afterwaqis used terrific threats, and kept beating
and tormenting him. But he remained firm as a
rock, and would not utter, a word. At last, they
cut off* his ears and his # nose, and tortured him in
ev/^ry way, demanding of him to tell them truly
why the Argives had sailed* away, and what was
inside of the Monster Horse. c * * •

He bore all with a steadfast mind, for Hera
inspired him with mighty strength ; at last he
opened his mouth dnd told his false r and guileful
tale.

“The Argives,” he said, “broken by the long
war, aku^feafl ing the wrath of the ‘gods, have fled
in t*hejr ships. And by the advice 6f warlike
Athene and the Soothsayer Kalchas, they built
this Horse, as ^.n offer ng to the goddess Athene.

(Th^u ^SINCJN’S FALSE TALE 387

• m ' *

fyi*, before their departure, they destined me, by

the advice of baleful Odysseus, to be slain on the
shore of tjie Hellesppnt, as an offering to the
deities of the Sea. *But jheir plot was not con¬
cealed from* me ; and escaping fforq the libations
and the barley-groats sprinkled on me as a victim,
I took refuge .under the Horse. There they did
not" dare to touch me, fearing the^ariger of the
dread goddess Athene, daughter of All-powerful
Zens. Ail our hopes, since the war began, rested
on the aid of Pallas Athene. But when Tycleides
and the artful schecr^r Odysseus stole the sacredr
Palladiufn,*the image of Athene, from her temple,
and polluted her virgin garlatjds with their bloody
hands, all our hopes, all our vigour, ebbed .away.
No sooner was the holy image set up in the camp
of the Danaoi, than fire blazed from her angry
eyes, and sweat broke *forth on her limbs, and
three times, with spear and shield, she sprang
from the ground! Then Kalchas, the gr^at Seer,
bade us put to sea. c For never/ he said, ‘ shall we
storm the city, till wg renew the auspices in Argos,
and bring fresh ^armies, with favouring gods.’ It
is at •Kalch&s’ Bidding that we 1 have reared this
Horse, to seek pardon f<?r the £rime of Odysseus
and Tydeides. He bade us make it huge and
high, th^t it*might not pass your gates and guard
ygur city from every evil. Had you harmed
Athene’s offeyng, I shudder to think what would
have befallen you. May the dread *bnush f^Jl Qn
the heads'of the Argives ! But if ^ou place it in
your hclly city, the tide 0/ war will rdll to the
gates of Argos ! ”

388 THE BOY’S ILIAD

Thus spake the cunning lial*, and thq wretched
Trojans all believed ,him. His feigned sorrow and
his forced tears accomplished what all the strength
of Achilles and Yydeides, apd the thousand ships,
and the'bloody*conflicts of ten long' years, had
failed to do! • • <

Thymoites was the first—whether a traitor, or
blinded by th’e gods—to counsel the Trojuns to
breach their wall and drag the fatal steed into the
citadel. Capys and some wiser souls suspected
Achaian treachery. But most far-seeing of .*hem
all was the noble Laocobn, tho renowned priest, of
Poseidon (Neptune). In breathless' Haste, he
rushed from the citadel, with his two sons *and a
crowd of followers, and shouted from afar : *■

“Are ye mad, O citizens? Do ye believe
that the Danaoi are really gone ? Do not trust
the Horse ! Do ye know so little of the .wily
Odysseus? I, for my part, ferr the Achaians,
even wljen they offer gifts ? Either the Monster
is filled with our enemies, or some other treachery
lurks within it ! ” Then, with gigantic strength,
he thrust his heavy spear into the Horse’s flank ;
the monster shobk, and from< the 'dark 'inner
hollow, groans issued Hire the sound of distant
thunder. Then, if the Fates had not been adverse,
or if the minds of the Trojans had not been
blinded, Troy might yet stand, and be still a city

But soon another portent, still ipore dreadful,
gCfep'd'thfcir eyes. While LaocoOn was slaying a
royal bvdl at the altar of Poseidon, two enormous
Serpents <iame swimmipgj, side by side, oVer the
calm sea from Tenedos. With mighty coils and

xlI* FATE OF LAOCOON & HIS SONS 3^9

blood*-red crests, t&ey glided over the billows,
lashitfg the water into foam, and gained the
shore. STlfeir fiery eyfes were suffused with blood,
and from 4:heir ja^£> issued thq, forked, tongues
with which they hissed, and spit “Out venom in
tlfei^ wrath. At this dread sight, the Nymphs,
daughters of* the Rivers Xanthos* and Simoeis,
wailed beside their streams ; and ’ the Cyprian
Queen, Aphrodite, groaned as she looked down
upon it from Olympos. The Trojans fkd in
horror, while* the Serpents made straight towards
LaocoOn *md his two young sons, and crushed
them in their tight-drawn folds. The wretched
father, to whom his helpless* children lifted their
feeble hands for aid, tried to release them* with
uplifted spear ; but the twain monsters bore down
together upon him, encircled his breast ydth their
scaly bodies, and reared their bloody crests in
triumph over hisTead-^-defiling his sacred garlands
with poisonous ‘dime and gore. In vain^he tugs
at their knotted coils ; they do but draw tljem
tighter. Then, in ftis "agony, he bellowed loudly
like ^ sacrificial «bull, which has broken away from
the altar and shaken the axe from its wounded
body. Then the hideouS mongers glided awaj^to
the temple of Athene, and found shelter beneath
the feet and mighty shield of the statue of the
fiferce Tritonian Queen.

Then dread horror filled the minds?* of the
Trojans,^taking away their wits; and witlf < 5 he
accord, they %cried tliat LaocoO* was rightly
punished for his impietyfor the act of hurling
lus spear at the Horse? the offering to Pallas

390 , THE BOY’S ILIAD ch.

Athene. They demanded that the Horse should
pass the breached Walls and be placed in the
citadel itself. All eagerly put their hinds to the
work; rhoirs of boys" and' maidens thronged
around, chanting holy hymns to Athene, and
rejoicing to touch the ropes and traces. Four
times it halted, and gave forth the clash of armour
from its belly ; but the people, blinded l)y the
Fates, urged on the work, and placed the awful
porteut of their doom in the innermost temple of
Pergamos. Yet warnings were rot wanting.
Kassandra, the unerring prophetess—fated by the
god ever to speak the truth, but never to be
believed—saw the cbming peril, and raised her
voice,' crying, “ O ye wretched men! little do
ye know the sad fate which already hovers over
you ! Tins Horse conceajs a fearful peril! But
ye will not obey me, accursed as I am v by
the angry god Apollo! ” , The Trojans only
mocked'' and reviled her, and ft eated her as a
madwoman.

Meantime, the heavens revolved, and gloomy
Night came to overshadow the world and hide the
deeds of the Argives. The weary Trojans laid
themselves down u to rest. The Achaian fleet
moved over the moonlit waves from Tenedos to
the well-known shore. Warned of its co/ning by
a beacon light on the poop of royal Agamemnoti’s
ship, th<r traifror Sinon, waiting beside the Wooden
Hor 4 e, withdrew the bars that closed its door, and
released the band of heroes imprisoned in the
inner cavity. Sthenelos'knd bold Thersandros came
fhst, sliding down t a rope ; then Odysseus, Thoas,

x'li , AINElAS SEES HEKTOR 39V

I % . *

^loanias, • Pyrrhos^ (Neoptolemos), Tydeides,
Machaon, Menelaos, and the,others; last of all,
Epeios, wh q built the {dorse. *

On this fatal night, jthe goddess-born hero
Aineias, soft of Anchises, in hi$ earliest dream
sa£v the godlike Hektor, sad and ^weeping, torn
by the fihariqt - wheels of cruel Achilles, and
soifed* with dust and blood. Ah, f hoV different
from the noble hero when he came from the
battle, clothed in the divine armour of Achilles !
or when he hurled flaming torches on the ships

r .1 \ • .* 1 * 6 % r

or t the Argives ! • ,

Aineias* questioned the dread spectre, but great
Hekt»r answered not his icjle words. “ Flee ! ”
he said — “flee, thou son of a goddess! „ The
enemy hold the gates and the walls, and resistance
is in vain. Well hast thou served great Priam
ancL thy country. If holy Uios could have been
defended, then this right hand would have shielded
her from ruin, th£e Ilios entrusts her Senates ”
(household gods). ‘‘Take them, then, with thee
in thy flight, and pl^ce them in the royal city which
thou shalt found beyond the waves ! ”

So sayiAg, he brought frtfm the innermost
Temple thn sacred garlands, tjie eternal fire, ^nd
the statue of Hestia (Vesta), the Queen.

• Aineias «.was awakened from his sleep by loud
q-ies and the clash of arms ’from the burning city.
This reached^ his ears, although the palace of his
father, Anchises, was remote and fliddseh afnqng
many trees. He mounts to the roof, ancUsees the
splendid abodes of Deipho]pos and (3 ukategon (Uca-
Jegon) sinking in the flames. Like a brave soldier,

392

THE BOY’S ILIAD

C H.

he dons his arms, and, with a few followers, rushes
to the citadel, prepared to die for his dear country.
On his way, he meets Panthods Othryades, a priest
of Apollo, and asks him wh Q t had happened, and
where \Vas the thickest of the battle.

Panthoos answered, with a groan : “Troy has
been, and is no more ; we were Trojans! To
Argos, Almighty Zeus has transferred the sceptre.
All Troy is blazing ; the traitor Sinon, glorying
in his treachery, applied the torch ; and the gates
are beset with countless foes, more than ever set
sail from Mykenai.”

Maddened by his words, Aineias rushed inlo the
flames, where sad Ennnys and the roar of battle
called him. By the light of the moon he saw
Rhipeus, great in arms, Epytos, Hypanis, Dymas,
and young Koreebus. These gladly join Aineias ;
and he addressed them, thus : “ Ye noble youths !
great hearts, and brave in vain ! ye see the
fortunes of the war. The god., by whom this
city was upheld, have all departed from their
fanes. Ye are vainly aiding a burning city. Yet
follow me ; let us rush into the midst of the
enemy and die. There is but one hope left for the
vanquished —to abcndon hope ! ”

Rage added fresh fuel to their valour. Like
ravening wolves, they make for the middle of the
city. Who can tell the deeds that were done, the
blood that was shed, in the gloom of that awful
night ? Who could number the dead, or nay them
the due tribute of tears ?

Nor was it the Trojans only who suffered.
Many a Danaan, too, fell by the hand of Aineias

*Li' SLAUGHTER IN THE CITY 393

• f

• t

jikI 4 iis followers \ On all sides were horror and
anguish, and gloomy Death reigned over all.

Then 4 -ineias and his barfd met Androgeos,
with a force of Daim^i. Jn the uncertain light, he
takes the Trojans for friends, ancl addresses them
with friendly words : “ Brave warriors ! ” he said,
“ why come y£ so late ? Hasten ye f to # the heights,
whero we are sacking the citadel !** As he re¬
ceived no answer, he saw at once that he had fallen
among fc^s. He starts back in horror, like# man
who. has trodden on, a venomous snake, Vihich^
rears its darlc blue‘ceils with hissing tongue. lit
fleeth in ^ain ; for we close round him with our
speara, and he and his whole hand fall.

Then, at the suggestion of Coroebus, Aineias
and the Trojans strip the dead, and disguise them¬
selves in their armour. By this Artifice they are
enabled to slay multitudes of the Achaians, and
for a moment to*turn the tide of battle. But now
a piteous sight n^ets their sad eyes. They see the
royal maid Kassandra, with dishevelled locks and
fettered hands, dragg^d/rom the temple of Athene;
and Coroebus, oite of her lovers, maddened by the
sight,‘rushefli on to certain death in the thickest of
the fight. ♦

Then all was lost. For .the Trojans on the
roof of jhe temple, mistaking them for Achaians,
assail them with stones and darts. The Danaoi,
furious at thejoss of Kassandra, gather together ;
and led by Aias and the two Atreidai, o^erwhelhi
the Trojans by their numbers. Cosoebu^ ^as the
first to * fall; then the righteous Rhipeus, and
Hypanis and Dymas, the la^t two ^ain by their owa

394 THE BOY’S ILIAD , ck

friends. Aineias sought death" in every *forni ;*ip
vain, for the gods destined him for a higher fate.

Called by the dfn of arms around the palace of
Priam, Aineias left the temple. The old Iphitos,
and Pefias, wounded by Odysseu^ follow him.
There they fotmd the most furious* fight of sfcll.
The Achaians, with their shields Iqcked* together,
to keep off tKie stones and darts from the roof,
were forcing the gates ; others were mounting the
scaling ladders. The Trojans in the p<dace, and
on h"s roof, wrench the great stones from the walls
and towers, hurl them down on the besiegers, and
roll on them the gilded rafters of the haUs/once
the glory of the Trojan Kings.

In 1 front of the great porch of the palace Stood,
the exulting Neoptolemos, the son of Achilles, in
the divine flashing armour of his sire. Near him
were hu£e Periphos and gallant Automedon^and
all the strength of the Myrmidons. They force
the gates with axes, and lay b*re to view the
splendid interior of Priam’s palace, and the long
halls and corridors, full of the accumulated
treasures of countless monarchs.

Then the clamour of the wailing womefi rose
from the secret chambers to the golden stars.
The terrified mothers wander through the courts,
embrace the familiar thresholds, and clasp jand kiss
the doors.

The, fierce Pyrrhos (Neoptolemos) strides on,
with all bis father’s might : no gates or guard.s
can stop him., Hosts of Achaians follow him, and
fill the vast palace with armed men.

There, with sad eyes, Aineias Saw hapless

j£li . PRIAM AND NEOPTOLEMpS 39g

• 1 *

N^kafte, surrounded by a hundred daughters and
daughters-in-law ; he saw gredt Priam, too, soiling
with his*bk>od the altars whicl\ he himself had
raised aryd fallowed.* » • t » %

# What wa& the fate of the Once glorious

Kihg of Trcfy? When he sees the enemy in the
inmost retesses of his house, he dojis the armour
of old days, and girds on the useless sword.

Hekabe, meantime, had fled with her daughters,

and' they* gathered round a vast altar in the
heart* of the; palace. » There, huddled together,
they cow.ered like cldves swooping down from the’
sky fo .escape*the tempest.

When Hekabe saw her aged Lord arrayed in the
♦arms of his youth, she cried aloud : “ O my

wretched Husband ! what dire madness seizeth
thee, to gird thyself with armour ?* Whither dost
thoif vainly rush ? The time needs no such help
i as thou canst g?ve. f No courage, no arms can
savQ us now ; nc? even if my own HektoT himself
were here ! Give way, then ; this altar will defend
us ; or at least we shall* die together ! ”

Lo, now js se$i Polites, Prian}’s son, flying from
the raging Neopfolemos, wounded to death—him
the son of Achilles follo\Veth, Vith uplifted speir,
eager to slay ! When he cometh within the sight
of his s£ged parents, he fall^th and poureth out his
life in a stream of blood. Then his miserable
father, though* the shades of death jlready cover
him, restnaineth himself no longer. He giveth fall
vent .to his ^oundec? spirit in angry ’words :
a Thou wicked man! , may the blessed gods
fqsay thee for thy impious deed$! thee> who hast

THE BOY’S ILIAD

ci:. xu

39 6

made me see my dear son die at my Very fee*.!
Falsely dost thou b 6 ast thyself the son of magnani¬
mous Achilles. He honoiired me as v a suppliant,
and gave me back the body'of glorious Hektor.”

Thus spaki the unhappy old man, and launched
his feeble, useless weapon against his 1 foe ; but his
spear only emote, with a tinkling sbund, the
brazen rim of the shield, and dropped on the floor.

Then Neoptolemos answered in his fury:
u Carry these tidings to Hades, and tell my father,
PeFides, of the shameful deeds of his degerierate
^son ! But now, Die ! ” '

So saying, he dragged the trembling King by
the hair to the alta*, and buried his sword, up to
the hilt, in his prostrate body.

Such was the end of the once mighty Priam,
condemned by 4 * the Fates to see his brave sons
slaughtered, and his beauteous daughters enslaved
to cruel lords. With his dying eyes sees his
glorious city burning, and in ilis last moments
hears the despairing cries of his slaughtered sub¬
jects. Such was the fate of Priam, u Lord of
Asia,” the Ruler of many lands and of many a
people.

“troja fuit.’

INDEX

Abderos (friend of Herakles), io
Abioi^N. of the* Euxine), 160
AchaJans, 2, 6, 14, 15, 25, passim
Achillea’2, 6, 7, 9, 15-20, passim \
Adamas (son of Asios), 152, i;1,175
Adniltos, 298; 302
Adonis, io,

Adrestos, R&, 87, 213
/Eakides (Achillea) ; see Aiakides
*Eakos j see Aiakos
TEgajan (Aigaian) Sea, 4
/Eglna (Aigina), ialand, in a bay
between Attica and Argolis, 3
i^gis (Aigis), 46, 80, 135, 191-193,
238, 272

/Egis-bearing, 24, 25, 41^ 47, 66,
passim * '

/Esepog (river in Phrygia, E. of
Troas) j see Aisepos
/Eaimos (Aisimos), 383
either (Aithcr), 254, 358, 367, ^/i,
381-382 a

aEthre (^jthre), 5cy
aEtolian j see Aitolian
Agakles (father of E^cigeus), 211
Agamemnon, 2, 15, 17-21, passim
Agastrophos, 142
Agatfmn, 3^5
Agave (Agaue), 234
Age os, it 4, 140

Agenor, 137, 151, 170, 172, 186,
193, 199, 200, 27(3 277
Agenor (counterfeit of), 277
Aglaie, 234 0

Aiakides {Achilles), 3> 126, 204,'
passim 3
Aiakos, 2

Aiintes (Ajaces), 45, 60, 75, passim

Alas (Ajax), 23, 51, 77, 86 , passioi;

see also Ajax
Aides (Pluto), 72
Aidoneus (Pluto), 258, 382 >

Aigaidn (Briareus) 30
Aigai (TEgae), 160
Aigialeia, 73

Ainei^s (/Eneas), 48, 67-76, 87,
_ 110, passim

Amios, 268

Aiolos (/Bolus), father of Sisyphos,
_9°

Aipeia, 125^

Aisepos (aEsepos) Rive 7 350
Aisimos (father of Sindn), 383
Aithe (mare), 298, 300
Aithiopia, 31, 295, 343-1^7, 350
Aith5n (horse), 112
JUtdlian, 79, 83, 162, 165, 192
Ajax, 14, 23, 87, 301 ; see also /ias
Akamas (son of Antenor, a Trojan),
w M7> *5 2 » 39 1

Akamas (s'in of Eussoro9, a Thracian),
74, 86

jAlalkom^pai (in Boiotia), 85 ,

Alastor, a69, 264
Aleiar^ plains (in Kilikia), 90
Alexandras (Paris), 1, 48-58, 66, 93,
^97, 104, no, 142-146, 175,
32 g > 332, 373» 376
Alkathdos, 151, 169, 170
Alkidamantes, 360, ^

Alkimedon, 205, 227-2^8
Alkimos, 255
Alkinoos, 320, ^23
All^itheia, 336
Altithoos, 354
Alkmaion, P57

THE BOY’S ILIAD

29 8

All-seeing, 69, 190
Alphcios (chief river of Pelopon-
nesos), 76
Amatheia, 234

Amazones (Amazons), 90* 332-336,

338 - 34 * ' „

Ambidexter, 268
Ambrosia, 213, 254, 757
Ambush, 246
Amethyst, 382
Amphimachos, -.64,^165
AmphTnoe, 234
Amphldn, 77
Amphithoe, 234
Amphi f 7yon, 72
Amphoteros, 207
Ampntor, 131
Anchialos, 77

Anchlses, 69, 152, 169, 228, 260,

355. 39i

Ancient of the Sea, 35, 236, 25", 322
Andraimon, 192
Androgeos, 393

Andromache, 91, 94, 96, 112, 222,
287, 289, 326, 327
Antandra, 333

Antenor, 50,' 52, 58, 93, 104, 137,
139, 152, 186, 276, 331, 332,

V s

Antheia (Messenia), 125
Antibrote, 333
Antiklos, 384

Antllochos, 14, 76, 162, 168-171,
197, 231 234, 298, 300, 302-
J04, 307-308, 346, 348, 351
Antimachos, 337 '

Antiphates, 153
A tiphonos, 315
Antiphos, 137, 138
Anvils, 187, 349
Aphareus, 124, 170, 171
Aphrodite (Venus), 1, 6, 48-49, 51,
passim

Aplsaon, 146

Apollo, 2,—if 19, o, passim

fc.pseUdes, 2*34

Arcadian? 100

Archeptolerrv's, hi, 115

Archer, 142 191, 259, 269, 274

Archer Goddess, 258

Archery, 20, 58, 67, 109, no, iij,

138, 142, 144, J46, *48, 1 jo,
172, 192, 195-196, 210, 274,

353-354. 374, 37»

Archilochos, 152, 186
Areilykos, 186 ^

Aatunoos, 98, 101

Ares, or Ares (Mars), 40, 47, passim

Ares-lovmg, 50

Ares (peer of), 1*92, 215, 219, ^.So
Aretos, 228, 229
Argai (AchaiS), 113 >

Argeas (father of Polymelos), 207
Argive Helen, 57, 104, 331
Argives, 22, 39, 47, 59, 63, passim
Argo, 384

Argos (in Peloponnesos), 1 5,8 $,passtm
Acgos (Argos Panoptes), siayer of,
3 11 “3 I 3» 3 i8 > 3*o
Ariadne, 248
Ariste, 86
Anstolochos, 369
Arkesilaos, 193 t

Armour (complimentary exchange
of), 91

Armour of Achilles, 204, 221-222,
245-248 , new, 2^5, 269, 363-
364, 369, 384, 394
Armour of Agamemnon, 136
Armour c 0 Athene, 117
armour £f Idomeneus, 167
Armour ui Penthesileia, 334 t
Arne, 98

Arrows , see Archery
Arumis (Diana), 9, 15, 17, 19,74,
pass t

Artificer, 35, 36 40, 192 236,243,
245

Artist, 248

Ascalaphos, 123, 170, 171, 189
Ash tree, 164, 280
Ashen spear (Achilles’), see Pelian
ash

Asia, 396

Asios, 152, 168, 169, 171
Asios (counterfeit of), 214, 230
Askama, 176
Askanios, 176

Asklepios ( *Esculapiua), 58, 59,

J44, 177

Assaios, 140

Astcropaios, 152, 168, 267, 302

INDEX

399

t

Astragalr, 9 ,

Astyanax^ 91, 94, 289
Astynome, 19
Astypylos, 268
Ate, 251

Athene (Mis erva\ 1, 6, 9, 24 ,f>a*sim
Athenians, 164, 173
Athos, or Acte (3. promontory of
c Kalkidike), 183

Atlas (son of T apetos, and father of
'Ihe Pleiades), 245
Atreidai, 342, 373, 393
Atreides, 19, 26-30, 38, 43 , passim
Atreus, 19, 24. 29, 37, 40, passim
Atriifone (Athene), 338
Augur, 87, 99
Aulis (Boiotia), 15, 18
Aurora, 334, 345 * 34 ^

AutomSdon, 2^4, 205, 209, 213,
226-2,29, 255, 320-324, 369,
3941

AutonSos, 140, 213
AutSphonos, 62
Avenger, 331
Axios (River), 52, 268
Axylos, 86

Baldric (of shield), 136, 157, 185

Balios (horse), 6, 204, 209, 255, 357

Barbed (triple) arrows, 7*5. 144

Barley, 121

Barrow, 99, 104, 106

Bat,*292

Bathycles, 211

Battle-array (Nestor’s), 60

Battle-a.ie, 172, 199, 337 ,'339

Beacon 6res, 238

Bear (star), 246, 3.4

Bears, 8

Beasts (wild), 190
Bctfch tree, 129
Bees, 39, 152
Ba&lerophon, 9 o, 91
Belleros, 90
Bellona, 335
Bellows, 242, 245
Bench (rowers’), 200
Beryl, 382 '*

Bias, 173

Bienor, 137 1

Birds (flight of), 154, 316, 335

Blood fine, 246

Boar, 81, 215, 218, 224, 232, 252,
253

Boiotia/79, 85, 160, 162, 173, 193
Bore (RiVfer), 223
* Boreas $ see Whids
Bows j see Archery
Boxer, 51 *

Boxing-match, 305
Bracelets, 243

Breastplate (A^amtftnnon’s), 136
Briareus (Aigaion), 30
Brlseis (Hippodameia), 13, 24, 28-
30, 33, 124-125, 128-129, 244
Brises, 125 '

Bull, 209, 247, 269

Calliope (Kalliope), 9, 359, 360
Capricorn (Aigokeros) (the sun enters
this sign of the Zodiac in the
Matter half of December), 337
Captives, sold for wine, 107
Capys (Kapys), 388
Carpets, 314

Caucasos ^^jmkasos), 333
Cedar tree, 313
Centaur (Kentauros),'l5o
Chalki3 (bird), 184
Chalkon (a Myrmidon), 211
Chaos, 350

Chariot of Achilles, 255
r Chariot of Ares, 189, 371
Chariot of Hera, 80, 117
Chariot of Poseidon, 161
Chariot of Zeus, 108, 118
Chariot face, 298
Chans, 243
Charitf (Graces), 71
Charops, 143

Cha& (Goddess of), 74, 259, 274
Cheese, 148

Cheiron, 5^6, 8, 9, 13, 59, 150,255
Chersidamas, 143
Chesnut horse, 301
Chimaira, 90

Chiton, 102 v *

Choma, 333
Chromios, 22§

Qhryse, 19, 20, 22, 27, 31, 373
Chryseis, 19, 23, 24, 27, 2 9 , 30
Chryse'S i 9 , 20, 29, 31

4po

THE BOY’S ILIAD

Chrysothemis, 125
Cilicia (Kilikia, in Asia Minor), 90
Cinyras j see Kinyras
Clasps, 243

Cleodoros (Kleodoros), 37*

Cleone (Klepne), 335
Cloud, 264, 371 $ see also Mist
Cloud compeller, 35, 77
Cloud coronet, 238
Cloud gatherer, 33, 81, 106, 119,
184, 191, 2Pi3, 222, 257, 281,

3 IO » 335

Cloud-girt, 281

Clylemnestra (Klutaimnestrc), 16,22
Coffers Zeus, 322
Conductor (Hermes), 317, 318
Converse (sweet), 182
Corinthian (Korinthian), 90
Corn-clad, 193
Cornfield, 304

Coroebus (Koroibos), 392, 393 ,
Council (great in), 41
Counsellor (Zeus), 155, 206, 225,
310

Courage, 80

Coward, 166 *

Cranes, 48, 199

Crater (Krater), prize, 305, 306
Cretans (Kretans), 60, 114, 165, 166,
301 0

Cynthian (Mount Kynthos, in the
isle of Delos), 17

Cyprian Queen (Kyprian), 67, 73,
81, 84, 333, 389

Dagger, or dirk, 248, 253
Daidalos (Daedalus), 248
Daitiasos, 152 N

Danaan, 392

Danaoi, 20, 21, 22, 31, 60 , passim
Dance, 195, 246, 248
Dancer, 205, 212 c

Dancer (as term of contempt), 315
Dardama (in Troas), 381
Dardanians'-^ardavides), 216
Dfc»danos, 82^ 262, 264, 313, 317,
3 2 4» V5 m

Dardans (Dard^ntdes)) 2, 48, 68, 104,
112, 120 140, 163, 196, 22?,
228,354
D£res (priest), 65

Darkless (Realm of),,190,*350^
Dawn, 38, 105-108, 121, 127, 135,
*54* 2 49> 2 9 2 > 2 95i 3 2 ^“3 2 9*
v 345-346, 350
Daws, 211
Daylight, 38
Death, 183, 208, 213
Deidameia, 36S

Deikoon, 75 c

Deimos (Terror), 180
Deloahos, 193
DeTopites, 143

Delphobos, 152, 164-175, 284, 315,
* 391

DeTphobos (counterfeit of), 282
Dtipyros, 124, 162, 172
Demakoon, 63 -
DemJter, 167
Demouchos, 26/*

Derimacheia, 336
Derione L 333, 335, 336
Deukalion, 166, 169, 301
Dexamene, 234
Diokles, 76

DTomedes, 10, 14, 45, 61 y passim
Dione, 72

! Dionysos (Bacchus), 89, 29’, 349,

15 8

DIoreus (Chores), 226
Dios, 315a
Dirk, 253 *

Discord (Goddess of), 135, 370
Distaff, 96
DiveV, 214

Dodona (ire Epirus, N.W. of Greece),
206,

Dog-fly (term of contempt) 272
1 Dogs (hunting), .'24, 232, 281 j see
Hounds

Dogs sacrificed at funerals, 294
Dolopes (in Thessaly), 331
Dolops, 140, 197
Dolphin, 266, 355
Doris, 234
D5to, 234

Doves, 191, 274, 280. 335

Dream, 37, 38

driver (of the^poil), 81, 92

Dryas, 26

Dryops, 264

Dulce et decorum, 196

INDEX

Dyke, ki f
D^Aa8,'j92, £93

*

Eagle, 15*3, 176, 199,231, 269, 316,

335 • •

Earrings, 181, 243
Earth, 49, 5*, 57^207 % *

Earth girdler, 161, 173, 180, 190,
• 257, 273, 297^03
Earth shaker, 106, 113, 118 , passim
East Wind j s\$ Wind
Ech^klos^ 213 * «►

Echios, 193, 207
Eels, 268, 271

Eetion (of Imbros), 29, 94, 95, 112,
# '\26, 204*267, 288
Eioneus, 98

Elasippos, 335 , 0

£la,$os, 213 ^

Eleian^W. < 5 f ©ree«e), 148

Elm, 269* 271

Emathiapi82

Endymion, 376

Emopeus, 110

Enippos, 207

EnnSmos, 143

Enope, or Gerenia (in Messenia), 125
Enops, 186
Ensign, 199

Enyalios (Ares), 171, 25^
Enyo’(Bellona), 70, 76, ^5, 337
Eds ^Aurora), 32, 345/ 347 - 349,
. 35°, 35 8 , 363* 367, 3 8 *

Eosphoros, 345

Epeians (Northern Elis), 173, j? 96 *
Epeigeus, 211 J

Epeios {architect'/, 305,* 381, 382,
„ 3 8 > 39 i

Epheboi, 10 >

Ephialtes, 207
Ephyra (Corinth), 90
Ephyri, 16 % b
E pikles, 157
Epistor, 213
Epytos, 392
Erebos, 291, 381
Ereuthalion, ^00

Erigcneia, 334, 35° ,

Erinyes ^E^menides),^53, 256
Erlnys, 251, 392
Eris, 6, 137, 247^ 258, 335, 370

4 o'i\

Erymas, 207
Eteokles, 62

Ethiopians ; see Aithiopians
Euaimon, 114, 145
. Euddro^ 205
Eumelos,'%98-302
•Euneos, ioj, 3*7 >

Euphorbos, 21^-219
Euryalos, 207^ 305, 378
Eury bates, 28, 42, 125
Eurymachos, 378
Eurymedon (clforioieer), 147
Eurynome, 243 *

Eurypylos, 101, 114, 145-150, 194,
__ 201^369,370,384

Eurystheus, 116, 198 r>

Eurytos, 369

Eussoros, 86 ?

Euxlnc Sea, 17, 262 >

Evandra (Euandra), 333, 336
Evenor (Euenor), 336
Exa^aos, 26

Falcon, 191, 211, 234, 274^280
Far-Darter, 23, 30, 32, 73-74, 98,

Far-voiced, 2cJ6

Fate, 217, 247, 349, »59

Fates (the), 251, 262, 336, 345,

349 , 370 , 375 , 379 , 390 , 39 ^
Fear, 136, 189 ,

Fig tree, 280

* Fillet (of Apollo), 19, 20
Fire (a simile), 225
Flies, 250
Flute, 135, 246
Forge, 242, 245

Fosse, 104, 112, 151, 153,237.238,

< 2r :S )

Frontlets, 80

Fungal pyre, 240, 373, 377
Furies, 256, 354 j see Erinyes

»

Galateia, 234
Galingal (plant), 271
Games (funeral) ©297
Ganymedes, 68, 69, 372 ■»

Gargaros (S. Summit of ^lount Ida),
109, 1S4S190 9
^ate (of Heaven), 80,117
I* Gate (of Horn), 37

4*b2

THE BOY’S ILIAD

Geese, 199, 227

Gerema (Messenia), no, 125-126,
*45, *48, 150, *78, 193,o^ 8
Giants, 349
Gifts (of Danaoi), 388
Girdle, Aphrodite 9,182,184, Hera's,
181

Girl (little),"201 tu
Glauke, 234

Glaukos, 4S, 89, 90, 91, 98, 152,
155-157, 186, 209 211, 221,
355, 3 6 o
Goats, 201
Goat-stealer, 315
Goes (Father of the), 188, 208
Golden ^.yre (God of the), 6
Golden reins, 90
Goldea rope, 108

Golden scales, 109 , see also Scales
Golden Sword (God of the), 75
Gorgon, 86, 136
Gorgythion, 115
Gi ace, 182

Graces (ihe), 183, 219, 333
Grain-giver, 52, 57, 90
Grapes, 247

Grasshoppers, 50 **

Guardian God, 318, 319
Guest friends, 91
Guests (Protector of), 172
Guide, 319

Hades, or Aides (Pluto), ~ iq 78,
£3, 86, passim

Hair (dedication of), 293, 35"

HalTe, 234

Hands (for battle), 212
Harmomdes, 66
Har 4? , 246, 247
Harpalion, 173
Harpalos, 369
Harpy (Harpula), 204, 370
Harpyai, 376
Hawk, 162, 248
Healing herbs, 373
Heaven, 15^3 gatcj, of, 80, 117,
^u-en of, 72, 187, 239
Heavenly IVfaid, 42
Hebe, 80, 85 K

Hecatombs, 88,to6, 120, 151, 293
2 95

Hekahe, 88, 91*95, 214, 279, 287,
313-316, 326 3*8, 375, 395
Hekamede, 147, 177 ’

Hektor, 2, 13, 25, 46-50, 53 , passim
Helen (Helene), T , 16, 41, 50, 54,
57, 93,94, 104, 125, 129, 142,
c- -144, 175, 280, 3 8, 331, 344,

3 6 7> 373, 375» 37 6
Heleno9, 19, 87, 99, 151, 172, ’75,

3 1 5» 37*

Helikaon, 50
Helifae (town), 113
Helike (“Great Bear ’), 344
Hellas (Greece), 130, 368
Hellespont (Dardanelles), 1, 99,
129,191, 237, 290, 317, 348,
351,358,3-2,387
Hcxmet (four-cr sted) of Agamem¬
non, 136

Helmet (four cr-'ste ) of Athene, 80
Helmet of Hades (invisibi lty), 83
Helmet of Hektor, 96
Helper (the), 317, 325
Hephaistos (Vulcan), 35, 36, 40,
65, passim

Hera, or Here (Juno), 4, 6, 9, 20,
24 25, 30, passim

Herakles, 10, 72, 77, 78, nfi, 183,
198,260, 333,373-374
Heralds, 20, 39, 46, 52, 103, 125-
126, 46,252,291,303,312,

3*7, 3^3, 325 3 26
Hermes (Mercury), 6, 40, 258, 311,

3*2, 3 l6 > 3*7, 3 2 °> 3 2 5» 3- 6
Kernxione, 368
Hermomdea-, 335
Hesione, T 14
Hesperides, 348
1 HestTa (Vecta), 3c 1
Hiketaon, 50, 197
Hippasos, 143, 168
Hippemolgoi (ScyOhians or Tartais),
160

Hippodameia, 169, 337
Hippolochos, 89, 90, 105, 355, 360
Hippolyte, 333
Hippomachos, 153
Htpponoos, 140, 354
Hippothoos, 224, 315
Hire (m Messenia), 125
Honey, 358

INDEX

4°;

Hoifli G f ite,'3/ 1

iforse, speaking, 2555 weeping, 226 j
welfrfed, 191

Horse (wooden), 779-391 >

Horse-pasturing, 59
Horse-racing 298 '* «

Horse-shoes, 108 J
Horse-tamer, 38 »

Hcise-taming, 38,^50, 51, 59, 68,
96, pasum u

Hoi%es sacrificed at funerals, ^4
Hounds (boar), 2323 see also Dogs
Hours (the), 80, 117, 118, 351
House-dog sacrificed, 294
Huntress, 273^324
Hy 5 cinthus (Hyakinthos), 10
Hyaderf (stars), 245 »

Hylas, 10 ’ t »

Hjflc (Boiotk), 79
Hypanfs, .392-393
Hypereiajj fount, 96
Hyperion (Helios), 119, 255
Hypnos, 183-185
Hypsenor, 168
Hyrtakos, 152, 175

Ialml*nos, 123 ^

lanassa, 234

lapetos (brother of Kron >s), 119
lardanos, ioi »

Iasos k i93 >

Icarmn (Ikarian) Sea, 41
Ic%, 71, 73, 84

Ida, or Ide (mountain in the T#oad),
48, 109, 112, 113,118, 138,
14c), 154, 18,i, 18 f, 188, 190,
191, 211, 261, 273,^76, 293,

„ 3 *&> 375 - 37 6 ^ 3 8i - 3 . 82

Idaios, 65, 103, 105, 316, 320
Idomeneus, 23, 45, 51, 60, 66,

, passim s

Ieson (Jason), 107, 267, 307, 384
Il^s, or Ilion (Troy), 2, 40, 45, 52,
57, passim

Ilos, son of Tros, .*nd father of
Laomedon, King of Troy (tomb
of), 317 •

Imbros ^island in N% Aigaian Serf),
161, 1*84, 267, 310, 328
Immortals, 71, y:

Ionia (on W. coast Asia Minor), 173

2;

Ipheus, 207
Iphianassa, 125
Iphiuamas, 139
Iphigeneia, 15, 16, 17
Iphinoos, ,98
1 Iphition, 263 t
Iphitos, ii^, 224, 394 *

Iris, 47, 50, '£1-72, 117-118, 138,
188, 190, 237-238, 295, 310-*
3 1 3

Iron, 129 > ,

Isandros, 90 ■*

Isos, 137, 138

Jackals, 347
Janeira (laneira), 234
Jason ; see Ieson
Judges, 246
Justice, 257, 382

Kab|iros, 336
Kabesos, 168

Kadmeia (the Acropolis of Thebes in
Boiotia), 62, 82
Kadmos, 62
Kaineus, 2^

Kalchas, 11, 15, 17, *8, 21, 22, 30,
161-162, 368, 373, 379-381,
386-387
Kalesios, 86
Kaletor, 195
<» KaIlianaira, 234
Kallianassa, 234
Kallikolone, 258, 260
Kalliroe (or Kallirrhoe), 372
Kapanerp, 61-62, 66, 68, 70
Kardamyle (Messenia), 125
Kassandra (or Kassandre), 168, ^26,

3i<& 393

Kas^aneira, 115
Kast 5 r, 51

I^aukbnes (N.W. of Asia Minor),
262

Kebren (river in the Troad), 374
Kebriones, 115,^45, 176, 215

Kentauroi (Centaurs)," $ > ^

Kephallonian3 (Kephallenes), 61
Kephisian Like (Lake 8 * Copais in
Boiotia), 79

£er (Goddess of Doom or Fate),

# * 47 *

, 2

THE BOY’S ILIAD

4°4

Kerberos (Cerberus), 117
Kikones (in Thrake), 219
Killkia (Cilicia, S E. of Asia IV{inor),
94

Killa (Cilia in the Troad)<, 20, 31
King of Men, 75 s
Kinyras (Cihyras), priest, 136
Kisses, 363

Kisseus (Cisseus), 93/139

Klaros (near Kolophon in Ionia), 11

Kleitos, 195 v

Klonios, 193

Klymene, 50, 234

Kljtemnestra (01 Kl) Lumnestre),

^ l6 v 22

Klytios, 140, 195

Knees of the Gods, 228, 264 , see
. Lap

Knossos, or Knosos (in Crete), 248
Koiranos, 230

Komatos (horse), 3-1 t

Koon, 139, 250

Kopreuar, 198

Krater, 52

Kreion, 124

Kreiontes, 252

Krethon, 76

Kronion, 30, 46, 107, 165, 262,
w 339

Kronos (Cronus or Saturn), 30, 33,
40, 43, 59, passim

Kudoimos (uproar, hubbub), 247/
w k 33^

Kyanos (lapis-lazuli), 136
Kyllene, 196

Kymlndis (bird), 184 ,

Kymodoke, 234
KJnothoe, 234

Laerkes, 205, 227

Laertes (King of Ithaca, father of
Odysseus), 42, 61, no, 13^8,
m J06, 363-365, 379-380, 383
Lakedaimon (Sparta), 1, 52
Lamb-steai ^ 3 I 5 0
I^^ipos (hoLoe), 50, 112
Landmarks t (as missiles), 272, 348
Laodamas,' k 'i96 '

Laodameia, 90'

Laodike, 50, 92, 125 *

lidddkos, 58

I Laog^fios, 211, 264, ^3$ ** L
I Laokodn (priest of Apollo), 388-389
Laomedon (King of Troy *»nd father
e of Priam), i ] 77-7%, 106, 197,
260, 273, 342-344,, 345, 354
LVtJoe, 278 fJl

Lap (of the Gods), 306 , see Knees
Latona , see Lcto
Leaves, fading o'i (simile), 2" 3 •
Lutos, 162

Lekfcjjn (Lectum), promontory L.W.

of 1 roas, 184 '

Lemnos (in N yEgaean Sea), 36,
107, 113, 183-184, 267, 307,
^ 373

Lconteus, 152-1 53
Lftaptrd, 218 c '

Lcri\)S\ 335

Ltsbi in, 124 f) a v.

Lesbos (N /Eg<ean Sea), si\

Lethos, 224

LCto (Latona), 74, 256, 2 £8-259,

__ 2 74 > 3 2 4
Leukos, 63
Light, 58, 230

Lightning (Go 1 of), 257, 281, 372
lmnoreia (sta-nymph), 234
Linos (personification of a dirge),
24- .

Lon, 197 209, 215-216, 218, 221,
247, .61, 283, 323, 339, 347,
354, 362, 371

I ion ess, 274, 336 ,

Loci? an (Lokrian), 157, 174, 301
Locusts, 2 f 6
Loom, 96 '

Lotos (plant), 27 1
, Lots ^cast^ng), ifti

Loud thundering, 31, 47, 49, 80,
84, 98, 106, 108, 117, 136, 154,
160, 164, 1 (j7, 172, 192, *03,
2-6, 208, 227, 242, 339, 340,
349, 366, 372 $ see Thundering
Love, 182

Lower world ^gods of), 184
Lucifer (Phosphoros or fiosphoros),
the planet VenVis when seen
shortly h> c ore sunrise, ,345
Luck-Bringer (Hermes),'258
L Lykaon (son of Pri?m), 53, 266-267,
278,307 1

INDEX

I^ykSon ^counterfeit of), 259 *
Lykadn ( (father of Pandaros of
Lykia), 58, 66-69
Lykia (south, coact Asia Minor),
66-67, ^4, 90, 155, 208^ 210,
*13. *=**> 3 i 5 > 3 6 ° *

Lykians, i, 48, 74-75, 77 - 79 . 8 9 .
98,112,140, Ip, 155-158, 163,
' 186, 195-196,208-213,221-222
Lykomedes, 124,^157, 252
LyJcophrgn, 195 f * ^

Lykourgos (King in Arcacfla), 100
Lykourgos (King of Edones in
Thrace), 89, 349
Lyrf W (Apollo’s}, 36
Lyrnes$os (in Mysia), 250

s *

M^haon (son of Asklepios, the
physician),'58^ 144-1457 * 47 "
_ 148^177, 373 ? 39 1
Maion, Az

Mairan(Maera), sea-nymph, 234
Mallos (town at the mouth of the
Pyramos River in Kilikia), 90
Manslaying (Arcs), 47,139,217, 230
Mars (Ares), 259

Master (father of Lykophron), 195'*
Medlsikaste (daughter of Priam),

> 6 4 ’ ,

Medicine (God of), 177
Medlines, 9, 58, 85, 145, 150, 172,
^ 194, 202, 373*374
Medon, 173

Meges, 192, 196-197, 252 ' f
Meklsteus, 169, 193, 30J
Melampws, 252 * ,/

Melaneue, 369
Melanlppos, 197, Pi 3 *

Melite (sea-nymph), 234
Memnon (nephew of Priam and son
of Titfronus Jnd Eos), 343-351
Men (Father of), 188
M^nelaos, 1, 15,16,17, 19,23,^*0777
Menestheus (son of Peteos of Phocis),

61, 156-157, 104, *73) 193,

205,^384,

Menestheus, 77 #

Menestltfos, (son of^Areithoos of
Arne in Boiotia), 98
Menippos, 335 0

Mcnoitios, 13,^7,147-149,201, 206,

4 U S

208, 212-216, 223, 235, 240,
• 45 , 2 9°7 2 9 2 , 2 9 6 , 3 ° 9 , 3 1 ©)

, „ 36,9

|»^Men 5 n, 153

Mentes (King of thFHKikones in
' Thra^p), 3P46 *

Mentes (counterfeit of), 219
Mentor, 164 *

Meriones (Cretan hero), 60, 66,
101, 114, 123, 162-166, 171-
173, 2II?y2,*223, 230, 232,
252,293, 299, 302-304, 336,

3697 385

Merops, 141

Messenger God, 38, 117, i£i, 319
Messenger Goddess, 314
Mestor (son of Priam), 315 3

Mid-Argos, 91 ; see Argos
Milk pail, 212

Minos (brother of Rhadamanthos,
■aboth Judges in Hades), 169
Mischief, 251

Misfortune (bravely borne), 351
Missiles (boundaiy stones), 272, 348
Mist, S4,«tVQi 260, 262, 266, 276-

2 77 » 35 V 37 2
Mnesos, 268

Mdirai (Parca?), Fates, 336

Molion, 141

Molon, 335 ^

1 Moon, 333

Mopsos (the Seer, son of Apollo and,
Manto), 11
Morning Star, 295
Morys, 176
Moulds pasting), 245
Moulios, 213
Mouse^od, 20
Mule-car, 313, 315-316
Mulls, 232, 293, 297, 305, 317
Muses (Mousai), 36, 169, 203, 359,

• 360, 384 ; see also Pierides

Mutilation, 286
Myd 5 n, 76, 268

Mykenai, or MjVcene 101, 123,
198, 392

Myrmidons (in^Phthioti^ Thessaly),
3, 13, 24, 28, a^yfassm
Mysia (N.W. of Asia Minor), 350
Mysians ,^Mysoi), 160, 176, 315,

* 350 »

THE BOY’S ILIAD

406

Naiades, Neiades, or Neides (fresh-
.water nymphs; nymph 1 " of
rivers, lakes, or springs),^, 186,
263

Narcissus x N*ikissos), 10
Necklaces, 2<3 *

Nectar, 254, 311

• Neleus, 37, 117, 19/, 298, 346,

356.372

Nemertes, 234

Neoptolemos, or Pvrrhos (son of
Achilles, 357, 368-373, 378,
r 380-381, 384, 391-396
Neptune, 388 } sec Poseidon
Nereides (marine nymphs), 4, 8,

J34. 236, 348. 35«. 358. 360
rNereus, 4, 8, 234
Nesaia, or Nesaie (sea-nymph), 234
Nest 5 r (King of Pylos), 14, 26, 28,
37"39» 45“4 6 > passim
Night, 183

Niobe (^ife of Amphion, King of
Thebes), 323-324
Noemon, 304
North Wind j see Wind*

Nymphs, 350, 369, 389; see also
Naiades and Nereides
Nysa, or N)ssa, 89

Oak, 168, i^ 5 , 209, 247, 276, 280,
293

Paths, 187, 253
Oaths (Guardian of), 59
ftchesias, 83
ft dies, 125

Odysseus (6dyseus), 12, 13, 15, 17,
23 y passim

CE^ne (Omone), 373-377
Gita, or Oitr (mountain range in
S Thessaly), 373

ftileus (King of the Lokrians), 137,
157, 162, 164, 173, 186, 223,
J07, 336, 378,384
Oineus, 91 ^

0^nomdOS, ^, ^ 152c 170
ft£ 3 an&s (Oceanus), 48, 65, 106,
108, 482-183, J04, 239, 243,
246-149, C57, 295, 348, 357,
360, 382*

Olive tree, 219 r

Olympians, 84, 155

44

ftlympos (snow-capped rangw be r
tween Thessaly and Macedonia),
6, 25, 30, 33 . 4 *. 55 . passim
Omens, 154, 176, 314, 316
ftnetor (priest), 211
ftplielftos, 140
6pitts, 140 ,

Opoeis, or Opoeis (Opus, the cap tal
of the Opuntian Lokrians), 292
O'acles (Lord of), 11 ,

OrchCVTit os (on the River K^phissos
in Boiotia), 130

Oreithuia (wife of Boreas), 234, 335
ft res bios, 79

ftrestts (son of Agamemnon), 16,

^ . 79 * I2 5 > I 5 2 * M 3
On6n (‘'tar), 245 246, 278
Oros, ^140

Orpheus, 16, 359, 300
Orsllochos, 76
Orthaios, 175
Orthryades, 392
ftrythaon, 354
Ossa (Fama), 39
Othryoneus, 168, 175
Otos, 72, 196
fttrynteus, 263
Oukalegon, 50, 391
Ox, 229 ^

Ox-chine, 04
Ox-eyed Halie, 234
Ox-eyed Hera, 34, 119, 181, 187-
188, 208, 239, 262

P«tan (Paiin or Paieon), hymn or
char 4 -, 32

Paieon (the physician), 85 ^

, Poionia (N. of Macedonia), 267
Paiomans (Paiones), allies of the
Trojans, 207, 268
Paisos (Paesus), lr the T t -oad, 77*
Palladium (Palladion), ancient image
of Palla9 Athene, 379, 387
Pallas Athene^, 30, 65, 69, 75, 83
238, 240, 258, 262, 283, 387
389

P^lmys, 176

Pammon, 315 v *

Pandaros (the archer, son of Lykaoi
of Lykia), 58, 06, 67, 69, 70, f
Panic, 63, 80

INDEX 407 -

nx&th; ",

Panther^ 333

Panthoos (Trojan elder, and priest of
Apollo], 50^175, 216, 218-219,
292, 3^1

Paphian (Cyprus^, 135 ^ ^

Paphlagones (north coast Asia

# Minor, E. of BUhynia), 173
PaVTs (Alexandros), 1, 6, 92, 98,

142, i5N 175* 1 93» 285, 3J5,
33^332, 33 6 , *344.<-3^-347,
352-353. 355-356, 773-378
Parthenon (Temple of Athena Par-
thenos on the Acropolis at

■" Athens)* 5

Pasithea, or Aglaia (one of the
'fcharites), 18^. *

P^troklos (kinsman and comrade of
fchilies),' 13^ 27, 28, 46, 119,
^ pasfim

PatrokV)8 (phantom of), 291
Peacock y see Argos Panoptes, the
hundred-eyed watchman of Hera,
slain by Hermes
Pedasos (horse), 204, 209
Pedasos (Messenia), 125
Peirithoos (King of the Lapithae.n
• Thessaly), 26, 152
Peisenor, 195 *

Peisandros, 172-173, 2rj
Pel^gon, 79

Pelasgoi (earliest inhabitants of

* Greece), 206, 224

Pelegonos, 267-268 - '

Peleides (Achilles), 2,-^3, 26-27, 32,

8*7, 95, nh, 2C2,*205, 305,
_34i-346, 352-353, 37°, 39 6
Peleus (King of'the Myrmidons c%
Phthia in Thessaly, and father
of Achilles), 2,3-8,13,100, 119,
3 pas sun

Pelian ash (spear), 6, 204, 255, 280,
> 364, 370 5 see Spear of Achilles

PelKs, 394

Pelias (King of Ioikos in Thessaly),
^384 ^

Pelion (mountain range in Thessaly),
6, 8. 370

Pelops (King of Pisa in Elis), 40
Penates (household gods), 391
Peneleos, 162

Penthesileia (Queen of the Amazons),
,^ 32 - 339 , 342-343
Pergamos, or Pergamon (Troy), 63,
■- 74 > 98 , 390

Perga808^75 —

Perimos, 213 ^

PerTphas, ^94^ e

Periphas (counterfeit of), 224
PerTphetes (s&n of Kopreus), 198
Periphras (son of Ochesias), 83
Perkote (Perc 5 te), in Mysia 141
Persmoos, 335 ’

Peteos (father of Menestheus), 61,
_ 1 5^- 1 57

Phalkes, 176 >

Phantom, 74

Phausios, 146 >

Phegeus (son of Dares), 6 5 '*

Pheia (Plica), on the frontier of Elis,
101

Phfidbn, 173

Pheneus (Pheneos), 346-347
Pherai, or Pharae (in Mesbinia), 125
Phere, or Pharae (in Achaia), 76
Pheres, ,299
Pheron, 3 4 >>

Pherousa (sea-nymp^), 234
Philoktetes (the archer), 373-374,
378, 38*. 3 S 4

Philyra (mother of C^eiron), 8
Phlegyans (in Phokisj, 166
Phlogios (horse), 371
Phobos (son of Ares), 189 > ’

Phobos (horse), 371
Phoenicians (Phoinlkes), 307
Phoibc* Apollo, 20, 71, 75, 106,
130, passim

Phoinix (King of the Dolopes in
Thessaly), 125, 127, 131-133,
> 205,254,299,^56
Phoinix (counterfeit of), 229
>Ph 5 kis (W. of Boiotia), 196, 224
Phorminx (lyre), 126
Phradmon, 114

Phthia, or PhthlcThessaly),
2, 3,23, 129, 1/0-131,14^01,
254 , 301

Phthiotes (Fhlotai), 173
, Phyleus, 252 * 9

Plena (S.E. of Macedonia), 182
PIerid& (Muses), 360 j see Musc§

THE BOY’S ILIAD

408

Pike (boarding), 199
Pindar (Pindaros), 3
Pine tree, 168, 184, 209, 370
Pleiades, or Peleiades, 245, 3^
Pluto (HadesV 758
P 5 d 5 rg?(rfarpv), 6 ,204.2 5 5, 3 57, 370
PSdargos (hor^e), 298
Podarkes, 173, 335 e
^Pofas, or Poias (fathe* of Philok-
tetes), 373, 374, 378
Polltes (son of Priam), 47, 193, 315,
^ 395

Polybos, 137
Polydeukes (Pollux), 5 1
Polydora, 203
Polydoros, 263, 278
Polyktor, 319
Pglymele, 205
Polymelos, 207
Polymousa, 333

Polyphemos, 26 f

Polypoites, 152, 176, 384
Pontos (father of Nereus), 234
Poplar tree, 168, 209
Poppy flower, 115
Portent, 153

Poseidon (Neptune), brother of Zeus,
2-6, 30, 47, 106, passim
Potter’s wheel, 248
Poulydamas (Polydamas), 136, 151,
*53, i74-*76, 186, 193, 196,
239, 240, 279, 330-331, 344,
378

Pramnian (Mount Pramnc in Isle of
Ikaria, west of Samos), 148
Pra>ers, 132 ,

Priam (Priamos), King of Troy, 1,
6, 26, 49, 51-52, passim (
Pronoos, 207 1

Protesilaos, 199, 207
Proteus, 4, 5
Prothoenor, 186
Proto (sea-nymph), 234
Purple (mourning), 329
Pygmy men f D ; ^maioi), 48
Pyla^menes, j&'- '

Pyllffes, 213

Pylian, 38, 66 v , 100, 143, 298, 300,
347 , 35 i

Pylos (S. W. of Messenia), 26, 39,72,
12? 1- 9 >

Pyraichmes, 207 t >
Pyramos (river in Kilikia), pq
Pyre (funeral), 294, 329, 342
Py^ra, 11
Pyrrhasides, 346

» Pyrohua (Alexandros), y i, 394, 396
Pytho, or Delphi (on the south slope
of Mount Parnassus, in Phoki^),
130

(^uarrfls ^chilies’ curse on),^36,250

Rain (blood-red), 136, 209
Rainbow, 229, 295
Rampart, 151
Rams, 293
Reapers, 247, 343
Reasor (ooddess of), 382
Reeds, 271

Rhea (wife of Kronos), 190
Rhipeus, 392-393
Rock (wave-washed), 198
Rod (Hermes’), 3 17
Rostra, 247
Rosy-ankled, 334

Rosy-fingered, 309, 329, 349, 350,
u 362
Rout, 80

Rowing-benc i, 261
Rumour (O r a or Fama), 39

"Sacrifice (human), 290, 387
Saftion-robed, 108, 326, 328
SafTron vclcd, 249
Sailors (storm tossed), 344
Samos (island off tie coast Asia
Minor between Ephesos and
Miletos); 328 t

Samothrake (island opposite to the
mouth of the River Hebros m
Thrake j contains a lofty moun'*
tain, Saoke), 160, 310
Sandals (Hermes’), 317
Sarpedon (prince in Lykia), 74-79,
90, 152, l^, 157, 186, 208-
213, 221

Saros (river in Kilikia), falls into
the sea S.E. A Tarsos, 900
SatnTos, 186

- ocales (of Zeus), 141,3.13, 259, 282 ;

INDEX 409

*see ^kamandro^ Sipylos (mountain in Lydia in Asia

Sceptxe of Athilles, 25, 26 Minor), 324

Sceptre f>( Agamemnon, 38,40; lent SisTffhos (King of Korinth), 9c* 383
to Odysseus, 42, 44 # L^kaia* Gatc ( of Ilium), Skaiai pylai,

Sceptre of MeneVaos, 303 5 °* 5 2 > 9 1 * * 4 2 > 2 7 8 > «

Schedios ((^f Phokis), son «f ^eri- 1 ^ 285, 33^ 352, 35V* * •

medes, 196^ Skamandft)s ^river Troy), 47,

Schedios (of Phokir), 3on of Iphitos, 66, 71,^1, 144, 257, 259, 268-

• 224

Scyros (island} ; see Skyros ^

Scythian ; see Skythlan f

Sea (Rafter of), 47, 113F 187, 190,
236, 239
Sea-monster, 260

Sej*-nymphs^ 235, 244, 310; see

* Nereiades

Selagbs (father of &mphion), 7r
Selene (Luna), 37b
S?lloi. or 5 Je ,, oi ^priests at Dodona
in |<pirus), 206

&ntinels, 121, 123, 319, 323, 323,
* 3 2 9 > 37 2

Serpent (portent), 18 ; see Snake
Serpents (sea), 153, 388, 389
Shaving the head (mourning), 291
Sheep, 248, 283, 294, 324
Shepherd (of the people), 40, 135
Shepherd (of the host), 76
Shield (Achilles’), 2/5 ; see also
• Aimour a

Shield of Aias, 102, A6, 144-145,
/ 203, 221, 237 &

9)jeld of Sarpedon, 155
Ship timber, 232 ) *

Shipwright, 49

Shouting, 123, *36, i a o, 238, 250
Shuttle, 288, 307

Sidonians (Sidones), 92,^306, 334 j

Siege machines, 381

Silver Bow (God of), 20, 31, 81, 98,

• 188, 217, 2£9, 264, 269, 274,

309,^310

ilver-footed, 202,205, 310, 349, 362
i!ver poplar, 209
Silver-voiced, 359

Slfhbcis (river of Troy), 81, 86,
2 57> 2 ^8, 270, 389
Sin, 132 *

Si non, 3^3, 386, 390, 392
Sintians (Sintifrs, ancient inhabitants 3
of Lemnos), 36

270, 2^7, 280 F

Skyros (island off the coast of Greece,
E. of %bce£), 11, 254, 354,
368 .

Skythians (Skythai or Skythikoi,
N. of the Euxine Sea), 33$
Sleep, 183, 184, 208, 213^

Slings (Lokrian), 174

Smintheus (Apollo), 20 f

Smyrna (in Ionia, Asia Minor), 3JI4

Snake, 48, 373, 393

Snow, 152, 155, 254

Sokos, 143

Soiymoi (or Milyai, the ancient in¬
habitants of Lykia), 90, 345
Soothsayer, 379
South Wind ; see Wind
Sparta,*oT ■°,^jrte ; see Lakedaimon
Spear of Achilles ; ye Pelian ash
Spear of Hektor, 120
Spears (double-pointed), 199, 232
Spercheios (river in Thessaly), 205,

2 93 *

Spindle (Goddess of), 259
Spoil (Driver of), 81, 92 ^ >

Stag, 17, 204, 215, 347
Starlings, 211
Stentor (phantom of), 81
Stheneios, 61, 62, 66, 68, 70, 83,
123, 302, 360, 390
Sticlnos, 164, 173, 193 *

Stones (as weapons), 16, 70, 103,
11$, 2 57 * ! 5 8 » * 74 * 185, an,
. 214, 261, 272, 348, 356, 370,

394 * 396

Storm-Cloud (Lord of), 30, 45, 112,
141, 188 j- >

Strife, 63, 80,147, 1 335 -

Styx (river of Hades), 7, 117, i84,
187, 29* J

Sulphur, 205 J
, 7 Summer Star (Siriu^), 65
,| Sun (Folios Or Sol), 49, 252
V

410

THE BOY’S ILIAD

Sunset (premature), 239
Suppliants (Protector of), 323
Swaips, 199
Sweet converse, 182
Swineherd, 270^

Sworff<(Go^ 7 nj, 75, 191
Sword (Poseicfon’s), 1&5
Swords, 24, 53, 76, 103, no, 136,
139, 172, 209, 2'9, 232, 234,
261, 268, 284, 334, 349, 365-
3 66 > 37 °> 39 6 1

Talthybi 03 (herald), 28, 50, 58, 103,
2 5 L 2 53

Tamarind tree, 86
Tamarisk shrub, 271
Tartarean, 349

(Tartaros (a part of Hades), 78, 119,
184, 291

Tauris (on Euxine), 17
Telamon, 77, 86, 102, 103, passim
Telemachos, 44, 61
Tenedos ^niall island off the coast
of Troas), 31, 147, 161, 379,
380, 384 385, 388, 390
Terror, 63, 136, 166,

Tethys (wife of Okeanos), 182, 357,
382

Teukros (step-brother of Aias), 114,
115, 116, 156, 157,164,166,
_ 19^ r 95* *9 6 » 2io > 37S
Teuthramos, 86
Teuthras, 79
Thaleia, 234
Thalios, 346

Theano (priestess), 93, 139, 338
Thebaios, no

Thebe (in Mysia), 19, 29, 288
Theles (Thebai or Thebe in Be/ otia),
62, 68, 91

Thebes (Thebai or Thebe in Upper

Egypt)* l 3° ,

Themis (Justice and Equity), 4, 188,
257, 382

Therakles (s^y^uilder), 66
Thermodon R rl ^r(fl*/ws into Euxine,
*■11 of Sinope), 333
Thermodossaf 333, 336
Thersandros, 39c *

ThersilSchos, 208
Thersvtes, 43, 44, 341, 342

Vhessafy, 59
Thestor, 21, 157, 368 -
Thetis, 2, 4, 7, 8, 12, 29 ft, 37,
passim

“ Thoas (King of Cdlydor m Aitolia),
iri, 162, 165, 192 252, 384,
39 °

Thoa3 (counterfeit of), 165
Thoas (King of Lemnos), 183, yr
Thoe (sea nymph), 234
TWSon 143, 152, 171
Thrace (1 rake), 123, 139, 166, 182
Thrakian main, 295
Thrakians, 86, 160, 172, 314
ThrasTos, 268

Thrasymedes, 123, 177, 346, 34/,

j8 4

Thras) n los, 209

Thunderbolt (Lord o f th°), 35, 130,
186 ‘

Thunderbolts, 381
Thunderer, 34, 38, 47, 68, 6 q, 77,
hi, 114, 118, 188, 197, 214,

2 57 > 2 7 2 » 3 2 °* 337 , 34 *. 359 >
361, 372 , see Loud thur
mg

Thundering voice, 33
Inyestes, 4 o
Ihpmbraios 141
TfTmoitcs 50, 343, 388
Timanthes painter), 17
Tisiphonos, 337

Titans (Titanes), 184, 341, 3

3 < 9 » 382

Tithonos ^brother of Priam), 135
Tlepolemos, "7, 78 207
Trechos, /9

Trikke (Tricca or Tricaia in
Thessaly), 59'

Tripod, 242

Tnto-born, or Tritogeneia (Athene',
64, 281, 389
Tfftonian , see Tnto
Troas (the territory of Troy N. •, ,
of Mysia), \ 18, 20
Troilos, 315 4

Trojans, 52, 57, 59, 61 63, passm
Tri> (King of^Phrygi i, father of
Ilos and Ganymedes, -nd grand¬
son of Dardano"), 68, 69, 70,
298-299, 372

INDEX 4*1

Tr*y* < 0 $. oHAlastor), 264 9
Vroy (Ilios^or Ilium), 1, 19, 57,
6&,*68, 90, passim. Note. There
is a good little map of 4;he,
region ••ound Troy in Smith’s
ClassicDictionary (189^)%
Trumpet call (tht shout of Achilles),
238 •

Ti nult, 336 $ ree^Cudoimos
Turtle-doves,^ 1 #

T>-iiios fle*ather shieW m^g^| 102
Tydeldea (Diomedes), 65-J7, 70, 71-
76, passim

Tydeus (King of Calydon in Aitolia),
45, 61, %$, 68-69, 72, 82-83,
86, 91, in, 140, 179, 272,

j68 •

Tyndareos (Tyndareus), 37^®*
lyphon (rtitber |of the Storm-
Wi^ds), 353, 366 j see Winds

v . •

Umpire, 299

Uproar (Kudoimos), 247
Urn v funeral), 296, 329, 342, 358,
'$77

Veil (Hera’s), 182
^esta (Hestia), 391

neyard, 247 * J

hares, 99, 208, 217, 2^7
's

u (star), 246 } see Bear

Sll. f ^ 1, i *53

✓Vail ground Greek shi^) 5 wuh
towers, ditch, and pllisadc, 104,
io(^ 112, 1 Jf], 1*5,^12^-124,

12^ 129,
187,
258

Wand (Poseidoi
W^r-cry, 220
War God, T9, 7
Wpr-horse, 277

■ i«;2.

7 4 ,

238,

Wasps, 152, 206
We^/er of Counsel, 124
Weaving, 50, 287
Well greaved, 39, 45, 99
West Wind ; see W '

► White-armcd,3i88 >

Willows, 271,

Wind, North (Boreas), 79, 185, 190,^
255, 2^4-295, 305, 335-337/
37 °

Wind, South fNotos), 41, 215
Wind, East (Etfros), 41, 215
Wind, West (Zephyros), 6, 6o^ 62,
204, 294-295, 370
Winds, 3$o, 353
Winds (cave of), 295
Wine from Lemnos, 107
Wine from Thrace, 123
Wise Council (Lord of), 33, 107
Wolves, 204, 283, 392
Wopien (prizes), 297
Woodcutters, 212
Wool, 158, 172, 338
Wool-comber, 54
World O'rdler, 191
Wrestling-mu.ch, 305
1

Xanthos (god of the River Skaman-
dros in the Troad), 86, 186,
258, 259, 266, 2^7, 271, 326,

389

Xanthos (river in Lykia), 48, 74, 156^
Xanthos (town on the River Xuhthos
in Lykn), 89

Xantho3 (horse), 6, 112, 204, 209,
_ *551 256, 3^7
Xoanon (wooden image), 379

Zeleia (town at the f§ot of Mount
Ida in Mysia), 58
Zephyros j Wind (West)

Zeus (Jupiter), 1, 4, 6, 24, 33 ,passim
Zeus (daughters of), 132

^Printed by R. & R. ClakiI, Edinburgh.